Remnant Inferis: DOOM
by GamerJay
Summary: Remnant never knew what true horror was until demons more terrifying than the Grimm arrived, seeking to conquer a world they think belongs to them. Nor the limits a warrior stripped of his humanity would push himself, and others, to exterminate the Slaves of Doom and their mortal allies. His path of perpetual torment continues and this time he will no longer be walking it alone...
1. Reawakening I: A Slayer of Feral Beasts

_**v.5 Beta: ErenJaeger17, Sir Attlich. Cover art courtesy of**_ _ **xXTheOneGuyXx**_

 _ **Rated M for Ultraviolence, Foul Language, Sexual Themes, Nudity, Horror/Grotesque Scenes, References to Heavy Metal Music and Badasses doing Badass things.**_

(RWBY)

 _ **She is purity, defiance, righteousness, strength…  
They are rage, brutal, without mercy…  
But You, You will be worse…  
Rip and tear…  
Until it is done…**_

"…"

Being a (dog) Faunus who grew up in a human majority city that is Vale, Aiden Hansen never asked for anything at all. During his childhood years, at the height of the Faunus Rights Revolution, he counted himself lucky for the happy, loving family that had surrounded him – two parents, three brothers and one sister, and for being as far away from the violence as they possibly could, having no part in it and being thankful for what they had considering their circumstances. But deep down - he felt that the Revolution wasn't enough to make the necessary change for his kin, and when he learned about the existence of a Faunus rights organization named the White Fang, he immediately joined them.

It didn't bother him one bit when the White Fang turned into a militant extremist organization that took a more... radical approach in terms of the Faunus becoming equals with humans. In fact, he had reveled in the violence the new leadership had plunged all of them headfirst. Especially Adam Taurus' ways of dealing with the 'human problem': Raiding munitions depots belonging to the Atlas military, setting them off and sabotaging the refineries which belong to the Schnee Dust Company and driving his blade into any damned human he could get his hands on – he had never felt so alive while being atop of so many smoking human corpses.

No regrets whatsoever.

At least until now as he finds himself staring fearfully into the narrow, angry, hate-filled eyes of the Kingdom of Atlas military's latest _'acquisition'_ , it's scarred hand gripping his neck, strangling him as it leaned forward out of the pod those human scientists had kept him in as his friends behind him backed away.

"Ai-AIDEN!" the male moose Faunus cried at the sight of a naked human throttling their comrade. With his bare hand. "HOLY SHIT-!"

The shadow cast from the pod door obscured its face, but with the branded, muscled, heavily scarred, six-foot four _'acquisition'_ he could see its teeth bared as it looked ready to rip Aiden's head right off his shoulders. However, it turned its head, Aiden's face turning white as he glimpsed at the corpses of the civilian scientist he had just massacred once he had broken into the lab. He saw the look on the human's face soften, right before turning back to him. It's expression twisted in pure unadulterated rage.

"…n-no, please…" Aiden whimpered, then screamed over his shoulder. "SHOOT HIM! SHOOT FOR F-!"

The human grabbed him by the scuff of his uniform, jerked its hand backward and slammed his head into the side of the pod. He felt like his nose got pulverized into his brain, his blood splattered all over onto the human's face. The human finally let go of his throat and he crumpled to the ground in a paralyzed heap.

The female cat Faunus was in the process of screaming right until the human launched itself from the pod and threw a left hook so hard that he punched her jaw right off. She pawed uselessly along her jawline, her mouth gurgling her pain, eyes wide with disbelief. Blood and bone fragments splattering the Faunus next to her, shocking him to the core. The moose cried out in fear of having someone else's blood on him for the first time ever and raised his assault rifle. His face cracked as an elbow landed on it, breaking his mask in half and knocking him against a counter in the lab, smashing through the computer equipment and scattering it all over the floor.

The mouse Faunus trembled as he dropped his empty handgun and ripped out a large serrated combat knife. Screaming, he thrust it at the human's side, but the 'acquisition' caught his hand just as the point pricked its skin and twisted his wrist. Bone snapping, terrified scream escaped from the mouse, forcing him onto his knees. It then followed up by slamming its knee right between the Faunus' eyes, the crack of bone in his forehead audible enough to turn the moose Faunus' stomach as he scrambled away on the floor, desperately reaching for the handgun right behind him.

"Oh please…someone-ARGHHH!"

A naked heel came down on his arm as he reached for it, snapping the bone beneath it and bending it. He screamed and looked up to see the human level his comrade's assault rifle at his head with one hand and pull the trigger, taking the top off his head off and splattering the floor with his brains. The human then turned towards the cat Faunus, who was still alive without her jaw as she tried to crawl away towards the exit only for the human to shoot her in the back of the head, the bullet flying out her left eye and putting her out of her misery.

Aiden rolled his eyes up to see the naked human – the Atlas 'acquisition' that they were meant to recover and bring back to Adam, believing it was a weapon of some kind and not a freakish Faunus-slaying-demon-in-human-skin that had just slaughtered his comrades which raised its left foot, ready to bring it down on Aiden's head.

(RWBY)

 **Reawakening I:  
A Slayer of Feral Beasts**

 _Take heed, thou with eyes of Argent, touched by the Wraiths themselves. You have been born unto a crucible where you are destined for everlasting war. You and whoever is unfortunate to stand at your side will face eternal torment against horrors beyond comprehension, and they will fall before your unbelievable might. Wherever you go you and your seed will find no peace, and only death, destruction and untold suffering will follow in your wake. The enemies of Argent D'Nur – traitors, beasts and the Slaves of Doom, you will exterminate them all._  
 _ **\- Corrax Entry 1:2**_

(RWBY)

He couldn't care less about the broken fragments of the dog beastman's skull that pricked the sole of his left foot. As to why, it's because he was really pissed off too much to care. That beastman had murdered innocents, and he had wanted to prolong it's suffering but his friends just had to jump in and he had to be quick about disposing of them.

"…"

Four things came to his mind that he needed to find out immediately:

Where was his armor? Where was his arsenal? Where was he now? And finally, where is Samuel Hayden? The metal bastard looked determined enough to wipe humanity out, and that was far worse than not having access to the Argent energy siphoned from the Shadow Realms – also known as Hell.

The moniker DOOM Marine was what this earthling Union Aerospace Corporation forced on him. Hellwalker, the Unchained Predator, Doom Slayer - names and titles the forces of the Shadow Realms had labelled him with. And as he lifted his foot from what remained of dog-eared innocent murdering beast he couldn't help but to agree with all of those. His rage towards Samuel Hayden and his robotic determination to destroy their realm the same way the Slayer's realm went made him wanting... no, needing to kill something. But he fought against his rage-fueled bloodlust, long enough to take view of his surroundings which were quite colorful, near translucent-looking (unlike the sterile, purely metallic UAC labs) where he just slaughtered his way through seemingly hours ago.

"…"

The Slayer gritted his teeth as he slapped his hand against his own head, grunting in frustration. Where did Hayden send him? Why didn't he kill him when he had the chance to? What was he going to do with the Crucible, his people's own ancestral sword, and how long would it take until the dimension he had fought hard to make sure it wouldn't suffer the same fate as Argent D'Nur? Absorbed by Hell, billions of souls consumed by unimaginable dark powers and reduced to nothing but shambling corpses prowling the darkest pits of Hell.

"Aiden, Kyra, Mitch, Dill, you guys there? You found what Atlas was holding yet?"

"…Hey, respond already! Anyone there, HEY?!"

"Shit, they're taking too long! Send another squad in, Adam's getting impatient!"

Questions for later, he was without his armor and the radio of the half-breeds he had just pulverized was going off. More of them would be coming his way any second. Bending over he searched the dog beastman, ruffling his hand across the sleeveless jacket, black hood and black pants; though he was curious as to why the beastman was wearing a slit-eyed mask. His hands skimmed over the sword sheath and pulled it off the body. The Slayer quickly looked at the thin blade and decided that it would have to do for now.

"…" Taking a moment to breathe the proverbial fire from his lungs, the Slayer studied his newly acquired sword and handgun. His lips pursed as he noted how different it appeared to the weapons of both his people and the dimension from whence the 'UAC' hailed from, but in many ways, similar at the same time. The same went for the sword he now carried.

The Slayer looked down at himself, finally paying attention to how bare he was. He glimpsed at the rune branded onto his left palm, clenched it into a fist with a grimace and walked towards the exit. Sparing the men and women of science in their bloodstained white coats a glance, glaring at the pod they had kept him in before he stepped out the door.

The Slayer had many questions, and no time for answers. Especially when he turned his head to the left to see another beastman with boar tusks protruding out of both sides out of his mouth coming his way with a serrated long sword.

"Hey, you're the-?!"

Taking advantage of the beastman's brief surprise the Slayer reached for both his tusks, pulled his face forward and slammed his knee right into it, smashing it into pulp and knocking him down on the ground, blood spurting up from his shattered nose like a geyser. Dropping the bloodied tusks that were still in his hands, he drew his sword in time to guard against a blade of another Faunus. The Slayer unleashed a right jab to the ram man's throat and rammed the blade through the heart, more blood spraying on his naked body. Looking past the corpse, he saw four more beastmen pointing rifles at him, prompting him to grab the nearest beastman by its ram-like horns, lift him up with one hand and use him as a meat shield as he was fired opened. The ram beastman screamed as his body was pelted by whatever they were firing before being flung aside, the Slayer swinging his sword diagonally with both hands and slicing through three more beastmen, bisecting two of them across the chest and the third one across the head.

As they crumpled to the ground in a splatter of body parts, the Slayer turned his attention to the fourth beastman. Jerking his head to dodge the point-blank shot, he growled while grabbing the beastman's rifle; yanking him forward and knocking him down with a head butt, shattering his mask in half to reveal his pained, fear-stricken face. The beastman wailed in agony as he held his bleeding forehead, opening his eyes just in time to see the Slayer's fist cave his skull with a straight jab to the forehead.

"…"

Cracking his left knuckle, he glimpsed over his shoulder at all the beastmen he had just killed, and the dead civilians littering the corridor. Bitter, the Slayer felt reaffirmed that these beasts deserved everything they had just received. He felt his ear perk up at the sound of a woman screaming several doors down.

And what they were still about to receive.

 **(Specimen Research Lab 4-B)**

Trying to stop the tears welling in her amber eyes, Dr. Lucy Catrice nursed the welt on her left cheek as she sat on the floor against the wall. Two of the White Fang grunts tried to break into the secured chamber beyond the security door which housed the more valuable artifact recovered from Specimen DN-SIL – a suit of battle-weathered powered armor which design, mechanical systems and internal power supply were unlike anything the Atlesian military had produced – even for the famed Atlesian Marines Corp. Finding DN-SIL among all those dead Grimm had been like striking gold, even if that gold put six Atlesian soldiers in the infirmary when they approached him…

"Damn it! I can't get the door open!" the vulpine White Fang angrily exclaimed as he gripped his scroll, his various hacking programs unable to crack the door's code. "Atlas really doesn't want anyone in there, eh?" He paused, turning to Catrice with a glare, "Is this all you humans were working on down here?"

Under explicit order to not show any details on the specimen himself, Catrice nodded vigorously, "Y-yes. We were developing the newest line of Atlasian Marine Protective System here-"

A ferret White Fang silenced her as he lifted her up by the neck and shoved her against the wall.

"Try again," the White Fang said behind his all-concealing steel mask, pushing her blonde locks aside away from her eyes. "Atlas wouldn't have splurged on a high-tech secret facility deep in the sticks just for a suit of armor. What else have you got down here?"

Gunfire coming from outside the room perked their ears up.

"Aiden's not done finishing them off yet?" the raccoon White Fang guarding the door grumbled. Checking his watch, he added, "He and his team was supposed to be here and giving us a hand with the door." The door into the lab opened and the raccoon Faunus exclaimed, "About time, thought you were done killing all the humans down here so what's with all the shoot…ing?!"

Everything became silent when the three White Fang saw the naked, blood-soaked man standing in the doorway holding a handgun in his left hand and a sword scabbard tied around his back glaring down at them. The raccoon Faunus staring straight at his bare chest, noting the three massive scars on the right side of it that resembled claw marks, slowly looking up to see the Slayer focus his attention on Catrice sitting against the wall and shivering in fright. The Slayer looked down at the raccoon angrily.

Stupefied the raccoon meekly asked, "W-why aren't you wearing-?!"

 **BWAK!**

The Slayer threw a right hook and the Faunus' teeth was sent flying in the opposite direction as his jaw jutted in the wrong direction, right before the Slayer rammed his knee into the raccoon's gut, the White Fang doubling over painfully, the Slayer following up with an elbow strike to the back and knocking him flat on the ground.

The vulpine White Fang quickly shot at the Slayer, who quickly ducked to the left and returned fire and hitting the vulpine in the neck and chest, the White Fang staggering backwards against the wall. Sliding down whilst choking on his own blood as it poured out of his mouth and wounds. The ferret-eared White Fang screamed out in denial and threw himself at the Slayer, revealing his gauntlets were spiked. The Slayer drew his sword with one hand, dodging the ferret Faunus' frenzied hooks before parrying his gauntlets and slicing upward.

Catrice cried out and shielded her eyes as the sight of the White Fangs severed hands being launched into the air before bouncing off the roof, blood spraying out of the stumps and the ferret screaming his lungs out, eyes bulging out in horror as he stared at where his hands used to be. He wasn't screaming for long though as the Slayer sliced his head off, which rolled across the floor towards the raccoon Faunus.

The raccoon groaned as he forced his eyes open, trying to stave off a concussion. They were like saucers as his friend's severed head came to a rest right in front of his eyes. He cried out when he felt like something was trying to rip his tail off, and he turned to see the Slayer holding him.

"…"

"H-hey, w-what are you-ARGHHH!"

Catrice watched as the Slayer walked towards the window of the secured chamber containing his armor, his grip on the White Fang goon's tail tightened enough for the Faunus to gasp in agony before screaming as he was slammed into the window hard enough to crack it, face first. Seeing that the window didn't give way the Slayer grunted in annoyance as he lifted the Faunus back up and swung the Faunus by the tail into the window repeatedly, caking it in his blood, the White Fang alternately screaming in pain and begging for the Slayer to stop.

And the scientist just watched, speechless at this…person's callousness. Right up until she couldn't take it anymore and reached into her coat.

"W-wait, stop!" she exclaimed, the Slayer stopping what he was doing and loosening his hold on the Faunus' tail, allowing him to fall to the ground moaning in pain and coughing blood and teeth. She produced a yellow keycard and extended it towards the 'specimen', her hand shaking in fear. "This'll get you into the secured chamber. Your armor's in there and your weapons and other equipment are in the lab further down the hall, but-"

She averted his annoyed gaze as she explained how the Atlasian military had gotten their hands on his arms and armor.

"…at least a few of them were sent to R&D in Atlas."

The Slayer blinked, processing all that. His eyes narrowed in resignation before gently accepting the card from Catrice. He loosened his hold on the raccoon White Fang's tail when the Faunus coughed and choked out through gritted, missing teeth.

"You...you had a pass the whole time? Y-you let him…he…did all this to us…" the raccoon sobbed before snarling. "You bitch, you evil bit-ARGHHHH-"

The Slayer effectively grinded the bone in his tail to dust as his crushing grip lifted the White Fang right off the ground, Catrice covering her eyes and screaming, traumatized as the Slayer swung the raccoon back into the mirror and shattering it. He flew into the chamber, smacking the Praetor Suit's protective casing, his screams cut off as his head was pulverized on impact, the torn and shattered corpse sliding down to the ground, blood oozing from a shard of glass in his neck.

"...tch…" the Slayer snorted, swiping the keycard through the reader and stepping through into containment and past the Faunus gurgling in his death throes, leaving Catrice to slowly pick herself up off the floor and make a beeline towards the terminal, sweat rolling down her forehead as she frantically typed away.

 _Contact established with Specimen DN-SIL.  
DN-SIL engaging White Fang.  
Awaiting further instructions…_

…

 _Response:_

 _Priority One: Appraise DN-SIL of situation  
Arm him and instruct him to exit facility  
Will be intercepted by Marine Extraction Team_

"Oh, easy enough," Catrice groaned sarcastically. She turned towards the chamber to see the Slayer's numerous amount of scar and runes inscribed on his fair skin just above his buttocks, eyes briefly lingering on the large bite marks on his right shoulder muscle as a blush lit up on her face and looked back at her terminal ,biting her lip and shivered as she felt disgusted with herself for ogling. Hearing the Slayer handle each piece of his mechanical suit and attach to his body she kept looking straight at her screen for at least a minute. Listening to heavy footsteps approach her, she inhaled deeply while mentally preparing herself to _'appraise'_ the Slayer of what he had just woken up to.

She felt her throat go dry when she saw the Slayer in his armor. He was an inch taller with his boots, and she could just faintly see the outlines of his face through his visor as he stared down at her, then at that red colored glyph just above his helmets visor – which resembled a distorted cross surrounded by four tiny runes. As for the Slayer, he felt relieved to be within the confines of the Praetor Suit, so much so that he decided to entertain whatever this woman of science had to say.

"I…I know you must have a lot of questions, sir," Catrice said, rubbing her clammy hands together. "You've been asleep for the past couple of days while we've been…studying you and your armor." The Slayer blinked, and made sure she could make out his frown, prompting her to continue. "W-we had to keep contained because you injured several Atlas soldiers…"

Atlas?

"…when they tried to provide medical attention after you killed all those Grimm…"

Grimm?

"…and we thought you could still be dangerous."

For the life of him he couldn't remember fighting anything called _'Grimm'_. Only Demons, for eons it was always the Demons.

Where was he? Not on Mars, that's for certain. And this was not a facility owned by the UAC.

Atlas? Grimm?

And the Beastmen weren't native to only Argent D'Nur after all? Probably not what they referred to on this world.

Again, questions for later. He shoved the woman of science against the wall and shielded her with his armored body when a grenade rolled into the room and exploded. The Slayer gritted is teeth as he felt the concussion, however the fragments did not pierce his armor. Pistol already in hand he turned to see several White Fang grunts carrying larger guns barge into the room. He threw himself at the Faunus, firing away with his pistol as he engaged in close combat and preventing them from filing the room with white hot... whatever their guns fired, which certainly wasn't either lead or energy based.

For a second, he thought that a couple of them were shielded by some kind of barrier or a shield that absorbed his shots but would shatter when the Slayer threw an uppercut that sent one of them flying up into the ceiling and back down with a crunch. Grabbing his sword, he tore it off his back with it in its sheath, slicing through a Faunus, before elbowing another one in the face. The Faunus charged, but his legs cracked under the slayer's assault. He looked down at the Faunus he had struck as he raised his armored boot.

All the while Catrice was curled up against the wall, arms covering her face and eyes closed and listening to the sound of gunshots, cursing and the Grimm Marine beating them all down before drawing steel and finishing them off. Daring to look she saw the Slayer crushing the throat White Fang with his boot. One sickening crunch later the grunt went limp, and the Slayer turned to face Catrice.

Breathing deeply, Catrice managed to somewhat regain her composure, the amount of dead bodies in the room still enough to send her into shock but she was well enough to stand back up and ask, "Are they all gone now?" The Slayer looked out the doorway then back to her, nodding. Catrice sighed with relief, "Ok…you need to take the elevator up towards ground floor and link up with the Atlas-"

She jumped when the Slayer through his sword and gun at her feet. If the Slayer pointing down at the ground was any sign he was telling her to stay put. She blinked, before nodded hurriedly. The Slayer regarded her for a few more seconds before stepping out into the hall, closing the door behind him. His last thought of about her was that symbol resembling a snowflake beneath her ID badge photo and wondered if it was something he would have to be wary of later.

Catrice swallowed and clasped her hand, "I…guess he doesn't want to be told what to do." She shivered lightly, "How's General Ironwood supposed to get him on our side?"

She covered her ears and backed herself right into the corner of the room when gunfire erupted. Screams of agony were followed by bone crunching, then silence. Right before more gunfire, even more gunfire and the wet sounds of a corpse being gibbed and the pieces spreading all over the floor. Footsteps were heard above someone pleading for his life, then a steel boot coming down on his head, repeatedly.

Catrice swallowed, _Do we want him on our side?_

 **(Entryway)**

 _DING!_

"Hmm?"

"Huh?

Ground floor, elevator hallway. Two White Fang turned towards lift number six, the one on the left wiping the blood off the sole of his boot on the floor as he leveled his laser rifle at the door. They heard the shooting over the radios, he screams and not from all the human eggheads they had all gunned down but from all the White Fang sent below to secure the mystery 'weapon' they had been tipped off about.

"Hey, something's coming up!" the White Fang on the right shouted towards the lobby where the rest of the White Fang were holding up. "Guns up!"

So the two White Fang, one goat horned and the second panda-eared, stepped back from the elevator with guns ready as the lift screeched to a halt. The door opened, and there standing was a massive bear Faunus armed with a double-edged battle axe standing there. Goat-horned and panda-eared sighed and lowered their guns, smiles on their faces.

"Ah man, had us worried for a second," the panda Faunus chuckled. "Kept hearing all the shooting down below. Was just about to go down and see if you needed help but looks like you-"

"Did you find Ironwood's pet project?" goat-horned White Fang cut in. "Boss' really getting angsty…"

The bear White Fang suddenly slumped before them, the back of his head missing and smoke rising from where his brain used to be. Panicked, the panda White Fang looked back up in time for the Slayer to level his shotgun at his face one handed and pull the trigger, blasting half his head off. His companion screamed in pain as his ear drums raptured, blood leaking from his ears as he fell to the ground, firing up at the Slayer – now covered in weapons which were magnetized to his armor. A pistol in the holster on his left hip, a large belt-fed assault rifle on right hip, a double-barred shotgun slung over his right shoulder and a massive chainsaw attached to his back.

Seemed fair enough that things shouldn't be too easy for him. He was missing his plasma rifle, Gauss rifle, Chain-gun, rocket launcher and the BFG -9000, remembering that he had exhausted the BFG's its shots – the last one having being used to finish off the Spider Mastermind, aka the Aranea Imperatix, aka Olivia Pierce; the woman who had brought the demonic invasion upon the reality he fought so hard to save for his efforts had been ejected from and who had sought power from what was left of Argent D'Nur.

Still it was an arsenal large enough for a platoon. And their owner rounded on the Faunus as he felt the laser strike him in the chest and... wait... not doing anything to his Praetor Suit. With one hand, he grabbed the Faunus by the face, muffling his screams and his attempt to level his assault rifle at the Slayer proved fruitless as his head was smashed repeatedly against the wall enough to times to shatter it like a grapefruit. Grabbing the twitching corpse by its neck, he charged straight towards the lobby. Kicking the steel door down he stepped into the facility's large, two-story reception hall. More civilian bodies lined the walls, and many more White Fang were present, all of them caught by surprise by a raging Marine covered in weapons with the headless corpse of one of their comrades in his hands.

And they weren't expecting someone that could fight back. It was not possible for the Slayer to be more tranquil about his rage, hurling the corpse at the nearest Faunus and swapping his shotgun for the heavy assault rifle and already lining up headshots through his scope, taking care to conserve ammunition and resist unloading with fully automatic and riddling the man-beast scum with bullets like the animals they were. Two Faunus' head burst apart before they could react, the rest immediately opening up with their laser rifles at the behemoth. The Slayer 'double-jumping' over their volleys (courtesy of the UAC standard issue jump boots he still wore), catching them by surprise…

"SHIT, LOOK OUT HE'S~!"

…and him landing on the White Fang he had hurled the corpse at as he had frantically tried to pull himself out from under his butchered comrade which made him feel utter terror, boots crushing his chest and skull and blood splattering out of his mouth, nose, and ears. Drawing his Super Shotgun, the Slayer dodged another laser volley and countered with a buckshot, two more White Fang exploding in a shower of blood and limbs. One White Fang was screaming in fury as he fired down at the Slayer from the lobby overlook and ducked behind a pillar when the Slayer returned fire. The White Fang smiled as he overcharged his laser rifle, intending to aim for the human brute's head only to hear something bounce off the ceiling and land at his feet. His smile faded when he saw it was a grenade.

"Oh, balls."

More gore rained on the formerly pristine lobby area, the Slayer paying no mind as he backfisted a charging, sword wielding White Fang hard enough to send him flying right over the reception desk, landing right behind two White Fang taking cover. The Slayer charged them next, smashing through the desk and sending them flying into the far wall, their Auras holding. But not for long as the Slayer advanced upon them.

"NO, WAIT-!" one of them pleaded before the Slayer levelled his super shotgun down at him and pulling the trigger, reducing him to a paste on the wall.

The Slayer turned to the second one, who screamed and lunged at the Slayer in desperation, hands reaching for the double-barrel and trying to wrestle it away from the armored killer. Briefly looking over at his shoulder at his dead comrade, he wondered what kind of ammunition could tear through a person's Aura like that. And looking right back at the Slayer he would have wondered how anyone could be able to kill as easily as he did if the Slayer hadn't grabbed him by the head and slammed his armored knee into his face, caving his skull in.

"PILE ON HIM!"

He turned to see half a dozen more White Fang advancing quickly on him – charging him from the ground and leaping down from the balcony above. The Slayer dropped his double-barrel and reached behind for the chainsaw. Pulling the cord, the roar of the blades pieced every eardrum as the blade itself was thrust through the chest of the first White Fang to descend upon the Slayer. Blood spurted out of the Faunus's eyes before he practically exploded in a shower of blood in midair as the Slayer pulled the chainsaw back and bifurcated him it. Another swing of the chainsaw and pieces of the White Fang grunts were flying all over the room as the Slayer hacked away at them.

Appropriate. For the Slayer, it was like being in a slaughterhouse, simply butchering animals.

He heard another distinct sound of the chainsaw and spun around to see a particular large White Fang wearing a different kind of mask with tattoos running up his left arm advancing upon him with what appeared to be a claymore-chainsaw hybrid. Catching the Slayer off guard, the White Fang roared and swung his chainsaw-sword, the Slayer barely dodging his swing; backing away from the brute, he raised his own chainsaw. The Lieutenant threw himself at the Slayer, shoulder charging him and letting out another roar as he swung his chainsaw with enough strength amplified by his Aura to knock the Slayer some feet away into the wall, the sheer force of impact warping the steel.

"I'm guessing you're what we came here for, huh?" the Lieutenant inquired, gripping his chainsaw as he raised it. Looking to his sides at the corpses of all the White Fang, the fact that it was liable to slip on all the spilt blood, the Lieutenant grunted. "There's no way you're leaving here alive, asshole."

Glimpsing at his left gauntlet that the Lieutenant's chainsaw partly damaged, leaving a gash horizontally across the center of his arm - the Slayer narrowed his eyes at how close the Faunus had come to penetrating his Praetor Suit. Pushing himself away from the wall he realized he had dropped his chainsaw which laid right next to the Lieutenant's feet.

The White Fang glimpsed down at the massive chainsaw. "Come and get-," he turned back and up was in the process of daring the Slayer to come get it right as the Slayer was upon him in an instant. Caught off guard by the Slayer's speed, the Lieutenant swung his chainsaw overhead only for the Slayer to grab his wrists and deliver a massive headbutt powerful enough to crack his mask in half. The Slayer delivered an uppercut to the Lieutenant's chest that shattered his Aura and made him double over in pain but was still physically unharmed. At least until the Slayer followed up with another kick to the groin that knocked him down on his ass.

W-WHAT?! H-he shattered my Aura in one punch! the Lieutenant screamed internally as he blinked the blood out of his eyes. He tried to quickly wipe it away as he stood up, turning just in time to see the Slayer come at him with his chainsaw. A chainsaw that looked more like the heavy 'appliance' type, and he had the strength to wield it and stay on the offence even as the Lieutenant blocked his attack and countered with several frenzied strikes that forced the Slayer to back away, right up until the Slayer managed to parry his next strike and the blade sliced across his right shoulder, drawing blood.

The sparks started flying as they crossed chainsaws, pushing against one another as they tried to force the other onto his knees. The Slayer proved stronger and shoved the Lieutenant back, bringing the blade of his sword up from the hip, the Lieutenant gripping his chainsaw with both hands tightly as he blocked it, gritting his teeth as the strength behind the Slayer's chainsaw slowly started inching his own chainsaw towards his hip.

The Lieutenant's eyes widened and was visibly afraid. _Who…what the hell is this human?!_ Suddenly he thought his luck turned once the Slayers chainsaw blades sputtered to a halt as the last of its gas was finally used up, taking advantage of the Slayer momentarily lapse of concentration by countering with his own head butt, grunting in pain as felt like he had slammed his head into a steel wall at the same time as his own chainsaw sliced across his waist, sparks flying. The Slayer staggered back, dropping his now empty chainsaw and the Lieutenant fought through his inevitable concussion long enough to strike the Slayer across the waist, growling in frustration as the blade didn't seem to be penetrating the Praetor Suit's metal and settled to just knock the Slayer down onto the floor...

Down within arm's reach of a White Fang mook's corpse and his broken sword. The Slayer grabbed it as the Lieutenant towered above ready to bring his chainsaw down, and thrusted.

"…"

The Lieutenant made a gagging kind of sound, right before he screamed…

 **(Ground Level)**

The mask-wearing red-headed bull Faunus known as Adam Taurus wasn't very happy.

That woman who nonchalantly came to his camp had _'persuaded'_ him and his men into joining their causes together, and now here he was standing in an abandoned warehouse deep within Grimm infested territory in the Kingdom of Vale. Two days ago, he had received a tip that Atlas was operating out of a secret lab deep below the said warehouse working on some top-secret weapons project... and he just couldn't pass the opportunity to get a leg up on those Atlesian assholes.

It was Cinder, Adam deduced, who lured him here,as he was already angry as it is. His men were taking far too long. Tired of staring at the formerly camouflaged staircase leading down towards the lab Adam growled, "I'm going down there and finding out what's keeping them." He turned to the White Fang, "Hold the fort."

"You got it, brother…HEY!" the closest White Fang shouted and pointed over Adam's shoulder.

Not even before they heard the first footsteps coming up the ramp Adam's hand went for the hilt of his sword, Wilt, and spun to face the entryway leading down into the bunker, the other White Fang fanatics' guns pointing in the same direction. Behind his mask his eyes widened and his mouth was agape to see the Lieutenant stumbling forward, his mask off revealing a bleeding forehead and tears rolling down his agonized face with his hands staunching his bleeding crotch around the broken sword that was... sticking out where his dick should be.

"Shit!" one of the White Fan mooks exclaimed. "El Tee?"

"H-help me," the Lieutenant stretched a pleading hand towards him. "Atlas…they've…he's a…monster…"

Feeling his strength give out as he bled out he tried to collapse on his side so that the knife wouldn't completely go through him. They heard the sound of a chainsaw revving as their eyes bared witness to the tall, blood-soaked armored soldier covered in weapons holding the Lieutenant's chainsaw over his shoulder with his right hand as his left gripped the handle of a smoking double-barreled shotgun. Every White Fang gun was trained on the mysterious armored Atlasian–looking soldier, except Adam who just seemed unimpressed, his hand still on Wilt's handle.

Adam snorted, "And who are you supposed to be, huh? The latest Atlasian Knight model to come rolling off the assembly line?"

"…" the Slayer was ever silent, the White Fang goons slowly starting to become nervous. The moaning Lieutenant who was lying at his feet and trying to crawl away despite having a sword through his genitals didn't exactly help matters.

"Well, say something robot!" Adam exclaimed. "Or did Ironwood forget to give you a voice box?"

"Err…boss," a White Fang said. "I don't think he's a robot. I think that's a guy in a suit."

"…"

 _Ironwood?_

The Slayer took a step forward; the White Fang all gasping as they took a step back save Adam, who just stood where he was glowering at what he perceived to be the Atlasian military's latest _'acquisition'_ – the reason why they were assaulting this remote outpost in the first place. The information leak didn't say anything about said acquisition being a 6'5 human man in power armor, and he definitely didn't expect to lose anyone, save nearly all of his men, to this man.

Adam gritted his teeth as the Slayer turned towards one the White Fang he sent down into the facility stumbling up the ramp. The panda Faunus had bullet holes in his arms and chest was missing his left ear and was coughing up blood as he tried raising his laser rifle with one hand; and Adam saw red as the Faunus' head turned to a bloody mist as the Slayer fired from the hip.

Before Adam had the chance to draw Wilt another of the White Fang beside him shouted in fury and charged at him with a large warhammer. The Slayer turning his head and delivering a knee to the Faunus' gut, his Aura shattering in an instant and knocking the wind right of him. Falling to his knees and he would have doubled over in pain on the ground if the Slayer didn't quickly snap his neck and let him drop lifeless instead.

The Slayer turned to Adam just as the White Fang leader leveled Blush at him from the hip, grabbing the warhammer off the ground just in time as Adam fired Wilt. Swinging the warhammer he struck Wilt, deflecting it right back at Adam.

"WHA-?!" Adam was cut off by the blade skimming past his check and impaling the White Fang right behind him through the nose and out the back of his skull, splattering blood all over. Bellowing in fury he reached and drew Wilt right out of the unfortunate mook's skull before he had the chance to hit the ground and charged at the Slayer in a blind fury. The Slayer drew his chainsaw from his back and brought it down at Adam, locking swords in a bind, sparks flying as the chainsaw's teeth chipped away at Wilt. Feeling his knees start to buckle "The hell?!" Adam gritted his teeth, unprepared for the Slayer's strength behind his blade.

He heard the other White Fang shout after him as he felt the Slayer's knee make impact against his chest and send him flying back. His Aura held, however, and he was sent skidding back against the floor as he saw his men charge the Slayer. He blinked, he was used to seeing his White Fang mooks knocked down or sent flying, their Auras keeping them safe from any kind of serious injury. However, he wasn't prepared to see at least six of his White Fang get sliced to ribbons by the Slayer, his chainsaw whirring as it cut through flesh, muscle, bone and even teeth as blood and pieces of Faunus sent flying in all directions, the Slayer smashing through their Auras like they were paper.

The last of the attacking White Fang fell to the ground, his legs now profusely bleeding stumps and a massive slash cut diagonally across his chest. The Slayer stood above him and the White Fang extended his hand forward and the remaining White Fang watched as the Slayer lifted the Faunus by the neck with one hand, his mask gone to show his bleeding, crying and pleading face. The Slayer paid it no heed as he crushed his windpipe, dropping the body right next to still moaning Lieutenant.

The Slayer was now covered head to toe in blood and was surrounded by the corpses of his men, so Adam blinked a couple more times to make sure he wasn't in a sick nightmare. He gritted his teeth when he felt his comrade's blood land on him and several other White Fang as the Slayer swung his chainsaw clean before bringing the point to rest on the ground.

The Slayer smirked as he stared at his new chainsaw. There wasn't anything better than to test a new weapon. It will do nicely in putting down these rabid animals.

 _Blood?!_ Adam wiped it off his face and looked at his palm. _What the hell is this?!_ Adam thought enraged as he scrambled back to his feet. _No human's this strong! Especially if he doesn't have an Aura-_ Adam's eyes widened as he hit that realization. _He doesn't have an Aura?!_

His angered chain of thought was broken when he heard…

"Words?"

It was above the roar of his stolen chainsaw in a voice that sounded guttural as if he hadn't spoken in eons, it was the time Adam Taurus, most feared leader of the White Fang, felt genuinely uncertain, judging from his grimace as the Slayer revved the Lieutenant's blood drenched chainsaw, visibly unnerving the dozen White Fang members, their weapons shaking in their jittery hands.

What the Slayer said next, relieved that he had finally broken his vow of silence after eons of battle, a couple of them thought they had voided their bowels. his voice filled with malice. "I'll…kill...all of you asshole half-beasts..."

Adam gritted his teeth, now more than properly motivated to end this Atlas freak's life. With both hands-on his chokutō's hilt he adopted his fighting stance.

"So, that's how it is, huh? Everyone keep back, this tin can's MINE!"

(RWBY)

 _ **A/N:**_ _I'd be lying if I said I wasn't inspired by_ _ **DOOM: RWBY**_ _by_ _ **DemonFireX**_ _to write this. That fic would have been awesome if he continued writing it._


	2. Reawakening II: Kneecapped

_**v.3 Beta: ErenJaeger17, Sir Attlich**_

* * *

Winter Schnee stood in the middle of the Atlesian bullhead as she and the nine heavily armed seated Marines, each one of them outfitted with their own suit of sealed power armor, watched the footage of the entity dubbed the 'Grimm Marine' who ripped the head of a struggling, howling Beowolf and discarding it a moment later to raise his shotgun and fired an explosive shot from said shotgun into the chest of another Grimm, ducking aside as it's smoking form landed on the ground. The Marine then put his foot down on its neck and blasted its head clean off with a direct shotgun blast.

Winter swallowed lightly, "This footage cannot be real, sir."

"It is very real, Specialist Schnee," her direct superior General Ironwood replied. " The footage was later analyzed and it confirmed that he does not possess an Aura or utilize Dust infused weaponry, while managing to eliminate at _least_ twenty Grimm. We attempted to make contact after that... but he proved to be hostile." The footage skipped to show an entire troop of Atlesian Soldiers approaching him with his back turned while facing the dissipating Grimm corpses. Winter gritted her teeth as one soldier tapped him on the shoulder and received an armored elbow that smashed through his helmet and knock him down before throwing a right jab at another soldier, hitting him the kidneys right before he was piled on by the entire Atlesian squad. "He was supposed to be held for a few more days of examination before being transported to Atlas for more…extensive study, before the White Fang showed up at the site."

" _'Extensive_ ', sir?" Winter queried.

"That is not your concern for the moment, Specialist," Ironwood said sternly. "Your orders are to secure and extract him. By force if necessary."

"You make it sound like that's inevitable, sir."

"Are you saying that you can't handle him if he decides he doesn't want to be willingly taken to safety, Schnee?" Ironwood asked.

Winter frowned - she never liked anyone doubting her ability to do her job, General or else. "I can handle him if the situation calls for it." she replied confidently. "Sir."

"I have complete confidence in you, Specialist," Ironwood said. "Ironwood out."

The live feed window of Ironwood disappeared from the corner of the monitor, leaving Winter to stare at the paused footage of the Grimm Marine amidst the Atlesian soldiers who were restraining him at the time.

"So... no Aura, no Dust and he somehow kills a dozen Grimm - that's something unheard of in recent history." the Marine Sergeant stated, his voice distorted by the radio in his sealed helmet. "That would be someone we really want on our side, ma'am."

Winter looked over her shoulder and stared icily at the Sergeant. Indicating the scope, long-barreled rifle he had in his hands she stated, "Be ready with the vortex rifle if I can't persuade him to come quietly, Sergeant." She narrowed her eyes when she noticed the rifle's current setting, "And keep it on stun. We need him alive."

"Yes ma'am," the Sergeant replied.

The bullhead suddenly shook as if something bumped into it, nearly knocking Winter and everybody else off their feet.

"Pilot, what just hit us?" Winter demanded.

"A whole murder of Nevermore just flew right past us, ma'am."

The Marines held their weapons tighter. Winter reached for the hilt of her saber, Myrtenhain.

"We have Grimm? Here?!"

"…uh, portside. You might want to take a look for yourself," the pilot sounded nervous over the communication line. "We got Grimm all over us!"

As she opened the bullhead's side door, Winter had to restrain herself from double taking the fact that they (her bullhead and the four others that were flanking her) were literally flying in the middle of a flock of Nevermores. However, the avian Grimm ignored the Atlesians, as did the rampaging packs of Beowolves tearing through the forest they were flying over. The Marine Sergeant stepped up beside the Specialist to get a better view at the unusual sight.

"T-this is impossible..." Winter grounded out.

"They're ignoring us? Are they heading our way?" the Sergeant asked.

Winter's eyes widened when she realized that they actually were heading their way - towards the secret facility where the Grimm Marine was being held. _'He's…attracting them?'_ the alarming thought came to her, but was quickly enough dismissed with a frown. _'No. No human can experience negativity so intense it would attract this many Grimm.'_ She blinked

 _'Just what exactly are we dealing with here?'_

Closing the bullhead's door Winter ordered, "Pilot, get us faster there! We have to apprehend the target before the Grimm overwhelm him first!"

"Roger that, ma'am. Hold onto something, this ride is gonna get a little bumpy…"

(RWBY)

 **Reawakening II:**  
 **Kneecapped With A High-Powered Energy Pistol**

 _So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again._  
 _ **\- Corrax Entry 7:17**_

(RWBY)

Amidst cheers and shouts of encouragement from his men sparks went flying around as Adam went on the offensive, drawing Wilt and connecting with the Slayer's – _Lieutenant Marlow's_ \- chainsaw, pulling back to strike at him from a different angle. The Slayer moved his feet to avoid Adam's thrust before parrying with the chainsaw with one hand on the handle, throwing Adam off and knocking him back. Adam snarled and followed up with a series of quickdraw strikes, but to the Slayer it looked like he was warping in and out of existence as he blocked each of his attacks with the heavy chainsaw.

 _'This monster can actually wield that tool like an actual sword?'_ Adam thought, perturbed by the Marine-looking bastard's strength and how he easily wield it without relying on the fore-grip. Even Marlowe strains himself to swing it.

The Slayer grimaced as the bull Faunus kept him on the defensive. _'He's too fast'_ , came the Slayer's blunt mental analysis of the situation.

 _'Way too fast.'_

 _ **++ Sidestep left. ++**_

The Slayer blinked in surprise. Hearing that voice of his comm the Slayer instinctively moved his feet and veered left, resulting in Adam's thrusting his sword into thin air and leaving the bull Faunus wide open to a counter strike. The Slayer swung his chainsaw upward, hitting him just below the left shoulder, sending him flying. Adam righted himself up in midair and landed on one knee, gritting his teeth in obvious pain as his Aura shimmered lightly.

 _ **++ Upon further analysis of this target I hypothesize that he appears to be protected by an active force of some undeterminable origin that shields him from the brunt of your physical attacks. More data is required for-++**_

The Slayer blinked as he saw a familiar symbol on its HUD accompanied by its name, "VEGA?"

 _ **++ I am VEGA. Sentient Intelligence created by Union Aerospace Corporation formerly assigned to Mars-++**_

"How?"

 _ **++ Please be more specific with your query. ++**_

The Slayer exasperatedly growled, "How?!"

"What did you just say?!" Adam exclaimed. "Who are you talking to?"

 _ **++ I am currently being run by the operating system in your Praetor Suit through the AI backup you saved during your excursion to the AI core on Mars. I am able to function off the Argent energy reserves in your suit. ++**_ the Slayer actually had forgotten he had done so. _**++I have been analyzing the attack patterns of your current opponent – his fighting style, body movements and use of armaments. He relies on speed and his active force appears to be able to augment his strikes. I can provide you with tactical - move right. ++**_

The Slayer veered right to avoid the slash, Wilt managing to slice across his chest plating, cutting into the steel but thankfully not deep enough to draw blood. The Slayer attempted to counter, but Adam danced around his swing and delivered several more slices across his waist and his back - again, cutting the metal only and not flesh. The forces of Adam's blows were strong enough to knock him back and nearly stagger him. The Slayer looked down at his plating and blinked, remembering that the armor had been hell-forged and was supposed to be nearly impervious to anything. Nearly being the keyword in this case. Adam swung his sword above his head and leveled it at the Slayer, sporting a smirk on his face.

"Can't keep up, murderer?" Adam asked. "Don't feel bad. No one can." Looking at his sword he realized he hadn't drawn blood and frowned, "What the hell is that armor made out of?"

"…"

"No need to answer, then." Adam leveled Wilt straight at him. "Won't take me long to open you up and see if the meat's still fresh-" he was cut off when he suddenly felt himself parrying several heavy blows. He attempted to warp in behind the Slayer and thrust Wilt right through his back…

 _ **++ Six o'clock parry. ++**_

…the Slayer spun around and raised his right hand to bat away Adam's sword, successfully throwing him off balance. Adam snarled and somersaulted backwards to avoid an uppercut, dropping Wilt in the process. Drawing Blush he fired away as he landed back on his feet, the Slayer charging forward and swinging the chainsaw to deflect the shots, but managing to catch one in the shoulder which staggered him. Adam ducked and rolled under his swing, scooping Wilt back up in his hands. The Slayer drew his EMG pistol and fired, but Adam ducked and weaved around his shots, while the other White Fang grunts ducked for cover as well as the two of them shot at one another.

 _ **++ Fire in 3 seconds…here. ++**_

VEGA put up a target indicator on his HUD and the Slayer fired at the indicated position, the shot hitting Adam in the shoulder. Adam was halted in his tracks long enough for the Slayer to charge forward and slash him across the chest, the chainsaw's teeth cutting away at his Aura before the Slayer's strength sent him flying once again, while landing face first onto the concrete floor.

"Grgh…dammit!" Adam cursed out loud. As he lifted his head off the ground, Taurus looked over his shoulder at the Slayer hatefully. _'Bastard predicted my moves, guess there's a brain somewhere in his head.'_ His grip tightened on Wilt to the point of chaffing as Adam got right back up. Sheathing Wilt back into Blush he turned to his lackeys and barked, "Buy me some time."

"RIGHT!"

The bellowing of the Faunus drowned the chainsaw's growl as they charged him. The Slayer growled, hating the fact that he was put on the defensive once again as he guarded against their blades. Double-jumping backwards he managed to gain some ground away from the Faunus, immediately firing multiple charged shots at the White Fang shooters, blowing arms and legs off as their Auras cracked. He gritted his teeth as he swung his chainsaw with one hand as he carved the more stab-happy White Fang in half, which resulted in them exploding like blood-filled balloons.

He looked straight ahead and noticed the details on the bull Beastman's body were glowing red.

 _ **++ Opposition appears to be drawing a combination of kinetic, radiant, and gravitational energies towards his active force, possibly to be channeled through his weapon. Caution is advised. ++**_

As blood, bones and various other pieces of White Fang mooks continued raining down the battlefield, the Slayer charged towards Adam, bowling over several more terrorists, bringing his chainsaw back as he prepared to slice Adam's head in to. The White Fang leader in question smirked. The Slayer thought he saw all the color around him suddenly drain. His vision was suddenly bombarded by red and he instinctively raised his arm. He felt the blade slice through the armor plating in his arm and cut into his flesh. The red gradually faded from his vision.

Adam's smirk quickly morphed into a look of abject surprise and denial. He had only barely sunk Wilt into the Slayer's arm plating. And judging from that small amount of blood leaking from where the armor was rent - Adam had only managed to inflict a minor flesh wound on the Slayer. Taurus blinked stupefied, before struggling to put Wilt back but found that the sword was stuck in the Slayer's armor.

Adam gritted his teeth, "What!?"

"Hell-forged plating," the Slayer replied. "Dickhead."

"Hell? Dickhead?!" With his free hand Adam drew Blush and levelled it at the Slayer's head, exclaiming, "Bullshit, you FREAK-!"

The Slayer proved quicker with the draw, blasting Adam in both of his knees with his high-powered energy pistol and shattering what was left of his Aura. Blood spurted from his kneecaps as Adam gritted his teeth, nearly biting his tongue as he tried to stop himself from screaming and giving the monster any satisfaction of hearing him. It proved fruitless as the Slayer followed up with a kick to his stomach that sent him flying towards the far wall and smashing into it. He was gritting his teeth to stop himself from howling in pain as he slid down to the ground, hands grasping his knees.

Adam was internally screaming in fury. _'I…I was beaten…by a lowly human!'_ Spitting blood, Adam snarled, _'No, he's not human! He's something else!'_

He felt a chill go down his spine when he saw the blood-covered Slayer slowly walking towards him.

 _'He...he is something worse!'_

The Slayer grasped Wilt's handle and pulled the blade out of his arm, grunting loudly as more blood leaked from the first wound he got on this new world. He turned to intercept a White Fang grunt brave enough to lunge at him, quickly spinning Wilt so that he gripped the hilt and sliced the top half of the White Fang's head off, rocketing upward and leaving a fountain of blood spraying up from the throat. Already in disbelief that the Slayer had beaten their leader, the White Fang kept their distance.

The Slayer dropped Wilt, moving both hands to grip the handle of his chainsaw. He snorted seeing them just hold their ground and point their weapons at him. "Come on," he dared them. He growled, seeing the White Fang just standing there fearfully holding their weapons shakily in their hands. "Come. On."

"Boss!" one of them exclaimed. "What-?!"

"Ah…keep your distance from him…hgh!" Adam commanded furiously. "Motherf-"

Impatience being his middle name, the Slayer was about to put one foot forward towards them when ,out of the blue, a furious Marlowe leaped up from the floor and grabbed the Slayer by both wrists and ,with all his strength, stretched his arms wide out and held him place, while the blood splattered from his groin where the broken sword was still impaled in.

Adam wiped his mouth, his confidence renewed judging from the smirk on his face, "Scratch that, GET HIM!"

The White Fang shared the same sentiment, smiles on their faces as they charged at the Slayer with their blades. But the sudden flow of confidence suddenly disappeared as all of them heard a loud screech...that was later followed by a large Nevermore that caved the warehouse wall in, it's talons immediately catching a White Fang mook and tearing him in half as it landed, letting out a piercing screech. The Slayer smacked the back of his head against Marlowe's chin and the Lieutenant let go of the Slayer's wrists. The Slayer spun around, grabbed Marlowe by the throat and hurled him screaming towards Adam and knocking him back down when he tried to stand back up despite his wounded knees.

"Nuts to this right?" one of the White Fang said to his comrades.

Just as the roof of the warehouse started to come down under the weight of Nevermores that landed on top of it, the White Fang decided to quickly haul ass. Adam was cursing away as his underlings dragged him and Marlowe to safety, leaving the Slayer to look up to see a piece of the ceiling coming down at him. He dove out of the way, and quickly recovered his chainsaw and pistol.

 _ **++ Structure has become unstable and I am detecting several dozen hostiles advancing on our position. Recommend immediate evacuation. ++**_

The Slayer got up and took off towards the nearest exit - the opposite way of where the White Fang were running off too, who were lugging their bosses as they ran. He heard another loud squawk and turned, reaching for his super shotgun just as the Nevermore went straight for him. Before he had the chance to level his double-barrel at the monster, the Nevermore slammed its head straight into him and was then sent flying straight through the warehouse door and out into what appears an abandoned mine by the looks of it – ruined buildings, abandoned construction equipment and a fuel tank. And it was all located within a chasm surrounded by a snowy forest.

The Slayer's eyes widened at the broken moon shining down at him from the night sky.

The area was infested by more of those creatures – Grimm, he kept hearing that word being thrown around him. He remembered being surrounded by them, slaughtering them all until some soldiers came. He threw himself at them in a fury after killing the last of the Grimm but somehow, they managed to stop him, sedate him, strip him off his armor and weapons before shoving him inside some specimen container as if he was some kind of a wild animal. To his own admission, however, he did feel like he was one once his feet touched soil after arriving on this world – angry, betrayed, feeling like his efforts to save another world from being consumed by Hell were all for nothing once Hayden got his steel hands on the Crucible - and all those blackened creatures he kept hearing the people refer to as 'Grimm' provided an outlet for his rage.

The Slayer groaned as he rolled over onto his back in time to see the Nevermore dive towards him.

 _ **++ I highly recommend you move out of its way. By my calculations at its current velocity this creature has the potential force to crush a UAC standard light-assault vehicle. ++**_

Disregarding the AI's advice, the Slayer reached for his shotgun he fired an explosive shot right into its face, demolishing half of its skull, splattering black and white ichor all over the snow as its beak hung by a thread from what was left of its face as it landed, or slammed rather, into the ground just inches away from the Slayer's feet. It had enough strength however to lift itself up and bring its head down at him, intent on swallowing the Slayer whole through its ruined beak, all while squawking in agony. The Slayer decided to openly express his emotions for the first time in eons, snarling as he leaped into its mouth and putting his fist right through the roof of the Nevermore's dangling beak and through the remaining half of its skull.

 _ **++ Impressive. There are more of these creatures approaching, however. ++**_

Feeling the Nevermore become limp, the Slayer tore himself out of its beak as he discharged the expended shell out of his shotgun. He then found himself surrounded by more of those wolf-type Grimm – Beowolves – who were lining the edges of the chasm and staring down at him from the ruined mining structures, as if they were waiting for the opportunity to rush him at once. Dozens of furious blood red eyes stared down at him from the darkness. The Slayer recovered his pilfered chainsaw and pointed at them with both hands on the hilt, daring them to make the first move.

The Grimm sensed no fear, no hesitation and they saw that he was eager to fight, so the monsters stood their ground and didn't move an inch. At least until the Atlesian bullhead came down raining high-explosive Dust-filled missile barrages that lit up the night sky. The Nevermores were driven off by combined gatling and missile fire as assault-patterned bullheads arrived. The Slayer produced his heavy assault rifle in his hands - he was expecting a fight.

"You there! Stay right where you are!"

A searchlight shone down right on his visor, causing him to squint and block the light with his hands. Glancing around he saw several bullheads hovering above him, their doors opens to reveal dozens of dark-grey humanoid robots with red highlights in their visors and chests – Atlesian Knight-130s - stepping out and landing to the ground, energy rifles trained on the Slayer. Even though the Slayer thought his teeth were going to crack under the pressure of his anger, he did nothing as he was surrounded by several dozen, considerably smaller Hayden look-a-likes. His hands twitched with fury as he held them back from turning the robots into scrap.

The sounds of the howling Grimm and weapon fire was drowned by the sound of the bullhead landing before the Slayer, which doors opened to reveal a rather dignified looking young woman in a (he guessed) military uniform judging from her long coat, her white hair was arranged in a bun with bangs obscuring the right side of her face. She stepped right off the bullhead and was flanked by a squad of Marines who accompanied her, each one of them immediately pointing their guns at the Slayer.

The Slayer took special note of the Marine Sergeant who was still on the bullhead aiming what looked like a scoped rifle at him, just waiting for him to make the wrong move. He was actually more cautious about the saber the woman had sheathed on her left hip.

Her hands behind her back, the woman exerted nothing but confidence. "Lower your weapons," she addressed her escorts. The Marines complied, as did the AK-130s. "Can you speak?" Winter inquired as she walked towards him, "Things would be considerably easier if you can."

The Slayer snorted with contempt. How _rude_.

The woman scowled. _'Why did I expect anything more?'_ She thought.

She cleared her throat, "I am Specialist Schnee, Atlesian Military's Special Operatives Unit," she introduced herself. "And I'm here to make sure you are secured for immediate transportation to Atlas and to my superiors." She frowned as he slung his chainsaw across his shoulders. "Preferably without resistance."

"…" Just so he can be used and cast aside, again?

 _ **++ The country or state that identifies itself as Atlas is preassembly the dominant military power of this world – Remnant I believe it is called. I advise that you co-operate with Specialist Schnee, who may be able to provide critical intelligence on this world and a possible way back to the UAC- ++**_

The Slayer growled and smacked himself upside the helmet, prompting VEGA to silence itself. Winter glowered at him, feeling her sword hand start to itch at the Slayer's erratic behavior. "Your scientists, 'cept for one, are dead," the Slayer stated bitterly. Winter winced at the gravelly sound of his voice.

 _'It sounds like he hasn't spoken in…who knows how long,'_ Winter thought, his tone of voice causing her to shiver slightly. She then stated, "An unfortunate bit of collateral damage."

Her eyebrows raised in intrigue when she heard the bones crack as he clenched his free hand into a fist. _'Obviously, that wasn't something he agreed with,'_ Winter reasoned, _'And now he looked like he was ready to turn hostile.'_

The Slayer noticed the AK-130s stepping closer towards him, their rifles edging towards his looked like she was starting to lose patience, so she said, "We do not have time for this! We're deep in hostile territory and we need to leave right now!" Winter exclaimed. "You will surrender voluntarily or we will force you." She nudged towards the Knights. "And in case you are unable to process your surroundings there is nowhere for you to-AH!"

Winter was suddenly swatted aside as the Slayer made a break towards the bullhead, bowling over the Marines beside her as he dove into the cabin. The Marine Sergeant fired his Vortex rifle, the beam clipping the side of the Slayer's helmet. The Slayer smacked the Vortex rifle of the Sergeant's hands as he dove out of the other side of the bullhead, firing another beam that went through several AK-130s that hit a fuel tank, which ignited the Dust that remained inside it. The explosion wiped out several more AK-130s and lit up the night sky even further.

The other bullheads were immediately on the fleeing Slayer, their spotlights still shining down on him and their weapons coming back to life. Winter was groaning as she picked herself. Suddenly she quickly shouted, "Hold your fire! The General wants him alive!" Drawing Myrtenhain she caught up to the Slayer in an instant, seemingly appearing right in front of him with the tip of her sword inches away from his visor. The Slayer batted it aside and swung his chainsaw in a reverse grip, only to hit, what he could've described, a glyph-generated shield that sent him flying right back into the bullhead, leaving a dent on the side of the aircraft.

Winter winced in surprise as the Slayer got back up. _'What is this creature made of?! The force of the impact should have at least injured him internally! He shouldn't even be able to move now!'_

An Atlesian Marine appeared from around the bullhead and leveled his rifle at the Slayer as he steadied himself on his feet. "Freeze, move and I'll-" was all the Marine had managed to say before the Slayer, without even looking at the soldier, punched him right through his helm in a blink of an eye, smashing the visor apart and knocking him flat on the ground, leaving him coughing up teeth. He turned right to see the Marine Sergeant with the Vortex rifle leveled at his head.

"You really want to ride this train, Marine?" the Sergeant growled. He rolled his eyes at a glowering Winter, "You've lucked out so far, but you've got no Aura, no Semblance, so you don't a chance against her, anyone or anything here on Remnant."

 _'Aura? Semblance?'_ The Slayer thought. He eyed Winter intently.

"Trust me, you might be packing an arsenal... but that's not nearly enough to survive where we're standing, especially on your own without any Dust. And I'm sure your suit can only take so many hits," the Marine Sergeant continued, his tone of voice a bit calmer, a bit more reasonable sounding. "And you don't want Atlas for a-" The Slayer suddenly reached for the barrel of his rifle and pulled him right out of the bullhead's cabin, sending him to the ground.

He looked up to see the Slayer pointing is own Vortex rifle at his head. He flipped the switch on the rifle to LETHAL and took aim at Winter who lunged for him with Myrtenhain. Winter cried out when she felt the beam just barely miss her left ear, feeling it burn her lobe a bit, and took the head clean off a closest Beowolf of the pack that were suddenly charging towards the Atlesian personnel. The AK-130s and Marines immediately opened fire, while the bullheads were already providing fire support.

Dropping the Vortex rifle that fell back into the hands of the Sergeant, the Slayer produced his assault rifle, quickly slapping on the micro missile launcher mod (without previously removing the scope) and launched himself into the air, letting loose an entire volley that tore apart the Grimm that were nearly upon Winter. The specialist was about to finish off the last one that survived only for the Slayer to land upon it, his left foot through its chest, forcing him to bring his right foot down and smash its skull to pieces.

Winter could just barely make out the Slayer arching an eyebrow at her through his visor, silently asking her if she wished to try and continue to _'persuade'_ him to come along quietly amidst a Grimm attack. Growling in frustration she nodded and shouted, "All units, adjust targets!" She broke Myrtenhain into its dual sword configuration in time for her and the Slayer to brave the onslaught of Grimm. She was caught off guard, however, when the Slayer left her side to throw himself at the Grimm, both hands moving to the hilt of his chainsaw.

And he sent several Beowolves and their severed limbs flying with ease as he swung away at them, viscera spraying all over. Two more swings sliced more Grimm apart, the rest quickly backing away and growling at the center of their hatred – the one who had no fear, who drew his super shotgun. A much larger Alpha Beowolf suddenly appeared from the side of the chasm to throw itself down at him, knocking aside several of its kin and making a lunge for him, its jaws wide open. The Slayer however, anticipated it's attack and swung the chainsaw at the Alpha when suddenly, the Grimm collided with a spinning white glyph (which the Slayer mistook for a rune) and blew it right back into the canyon wall, where it was quickly buried under an avalanche of rock that sent Grimm scattering.

"All aircraft, check your fire - I am moving to assist the asset!" Winter barked up at the bullheads as she caught up with the Slayer. The Schnee gave the Slayer a sideways glance as she adopted a battle stance to face the Grimm, seeing that they were mostly concentrating on the Slayer. _'I knew it! The Grimm are here for him! Whatever he's feeling at this moment – sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred or any kind of negative emotion - they're attracted to it!'_

The Doom Marine stepped forward, the double-barrel in one hand and the chainsaw in the other, and the Grimm backed away. "What in the…?" Winter muttered angrily. _'How...Are they afraid of him?'_

One of the Beowolves saw Winter as a more _'easier'_ target and suddenly lunged at her. She scowled in annoyance when the Slayer raised his sawed-off and blew a hole right through its rib cage, as Winter had to dodge its corpse when it hit the ground. The Slayer had both hands on the handle of the shotgun and the grip of the chainsaw as the snarling Beowolves found courage and swarmed both him and Winter. And while White was elegant in dodging the claws as she slashed at their vital spots, the Slayer just threw himself into the thick of it, whirring chainsaw and spreading viscera all over as he took the Grimm apart, drenching himself in their blood and actually resembling something from Winter's worst nightmares when she dared to catch a glimpse of him.

Winter herself was hardly the only witness to this carnage, if the Atlesian Marines stupefied looks of disbelief were any indication. That someone would be insane to throw himself at the Grimm armed only with a chainsaw and weapons that don't even utilize Dust. Reforming Myrtenhain back into its saber form she offhandedly shielded herself with another glyph, sending the assaulting Beowolf flying, all while she watched the Slayer put his foot against the last Beowolf as he forced the chainsaw out of its skull,the blood spraying upward.

Winter winced as she felt the Grimm blood spatter on her face. One loud caw of another Nevermore baring down on them drew their attention, Winter pointing Myrtenhain and preparing her glyphs, the Slayer glancing down at her feet to see them spinning around her. He revved up the chainsaw, the Slayer and the specialist giving one another a very deliberate, prolonged glance as the Nevermore drew close and begun its descent, claws stretched out as it dodged cannon fire from the bullheads.

"Schnee! Marine! The hell are ya' doing standing there?!" the Sergeant shouted. "Oh shit~!" he exclaimed as he pointed his rifle upward.

"GO!" Winter shouted.

The Slayer fan forward with both hands gripping the chainsaw, surprising Winter with how fast he could move without any Aura whatsoever. He jumped into the air, the mechanical extensions built into his boots giving him another boost (almost like a double jump) before casting one of her glyphs that appeared beneath the Slayer's feet. The Slayer bounced off the glyph and jumped straight towards the Nevermore, speed increased tenfold due to the glyph. He swung the chainsaw while being airborne with an impressive display of strength as he sliced right through the Nevermore mouth, past it's beak and down its entire length, slashing it right in half and both sides falling back down to the ground, while the Slayer followed close behind the pieces.

Catching up to him, Winter casted another glyph that slowed the Slayer's descent. The Slayer however still gritted his teeth as he felt the pressure with landing on one knee. He was now completely drenched in Grimm red and black.

Hearing the heeled footsteps, he turned to Winter, her rapier still in hand as she approached him. The Slayer tilted his head curiously - he had no idea what possessed him to leave himself in the hands of this 'Atlesian' and her sorceries - he was perfectly capable of killing the oversized mutant crow by himself, thank you very much.

As if she was somehow peering into his head, Winter flicked the blood clean of her sabre and sheathed it. "I hope this demonstration of our combined might against the Grimm is enough to convince you to accompany us back to Atlas, and to our commander General Ironwood," she said. "I believe you two would have much to talk ab-"

A loud caw made the Slayer dive forward to shove Winter back off her feet and onto the ground, in time just as the Nevermore suddenly flew down from the tree line outside the chasm and snatched up the Slayer with its claws, taking off into the air, as it ducked and swerved to avoid the Atlesian's fire, resulting in flying away with its armored prize. Realizing that the Slayer had just saved her life, Winter cursed out loud and picked herself up. She pointed Myrtenhain up at the Grimm, only to realize that it was out of range of her glyphs.

"After them! We're not letting them go!" Winter shouted, the Marines didn't need to be told twice as they mounted back up on the bullhead, leaving the AK-130s behind to hold back another wave of Grimm as they lifted off from the ground, gaining altitude before taking off towards the Nevermore and the captive Grimm Marine in its claws.

"Ma'am, LOOK! TWO O'CLOCK!" the pilot directed Winter's gaze in time to see the Nevermore in the distance have its leg wing blown off as it plummeted back down into the forest.

"Get us over there now!" she ordered and the small fleet of bullheads arrived at the site where the Nevermore had crashed. Their spotlights shone down on its dissipating corpse, but the Slayer was nowhere to be found.

Judging from the way the grass was disturbed he must have escaped into the forest. Unfortunately, more Nevermores were heading their way. "Ma'am it's too dangerous to go searching for him now. We need to secure the facility, extract any survivors and whatever research data remains!" the Sergeant exclaimed above all the gunfire the bullheads and their Marine squads were laying on the Grimm."And Ironwood needs to know how much of a doom magnet this guy is-"

"And how he is drawing the Grimm. I gathered that." Winter glared at the Sergeant. Balling her fists, she closed the bullhead doors as the aircraft picked up altitude and begun evasive maneuvers to avoid the Grimm. Initiating the bullhead's communication system, she took in a deep breath and said,

"Patch me through to General Ironwood-"

(RWBY)

The chainsaw felt heavy in his left arm as he hefted it across over could see that the Grimm were following him through the forest, but were keeping their distance. The Slayer knew that these creatures, these Grimm, were somehow drawn to him. And it was better that he was here in the middle of nowhere than with those 'Atlesian's' taking him back to civilization and drawing the Grimm all the way with him.

"Talk," he said loudly.

He winced as he heard VEGA sound close to blaring out his eardrums. _**++ It would have been preferential to allow the Atlesians to take us with them back to their base of operations. However, if these 'creatures of Grimm' are attracted to your person than it would have been ill-advised, ++**_ VEGA droned emotionlessly. _**++ For the moment, I recommend you see to your needs. ++**_

The Slayer was about to ask what he meant when he heard his stomach rumble. The Slayer patted his stomach and groaned a bit, as the last thing he remembered eating was that slice of dried Pinky meat right before he went after the Baalgar, who were cowering within the tombs of the Blood Keep within the city of Dis. Several tons of temple bricks had promptly been dropped on him afterwards, which then proceeded with him chained in that sarcophagus.

 _ **++I advise to head east in the direction the Atlas aircraft are heading. We are certain to find a minor human settlement. And where we will be able to determine what our next course of action should be. ++**_

The Slayer snorted. Course of action? With one final leap, the Slayer exited the forest and found himself on a batted dirt road. Looking down at his feet he found a corpse of a cloak-wearing White Fang, probably one of those that managed to escape the facility, but had succumbed to the wounds he had inflicted upon bloodstained cloak he was wearing conveniently looked to be the Slayer's size. He tore it off and wrapped the whole thing around himself, covering his armored form and the weapons magnetized to himself he pulled the hood down that covered his helmet. As for the half-breed's combat knife, he took that as well along with the sheathe.

Feeling like there were a hundred eyes watching him from the forest he hefted his chainsaw back over his shoulder. First, he had find somewhere safe to stich up the wound that the fucking bullheaded half-breed inflicted on him. And then, onward to parts unknown.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Honestly, I didn't think anyone would notice this fan fic amidst all the other DOOM crossovers, I'm glad I was wrong. I started writing this months ago right after I finished DOOM 2016 for the first time, but nearly everyone else beat me into posting their own crossovers. Thanks for your comments, praise, constructive criticism. ^_^_

 _By the way, Myrtenhain is a name I made up for Winter's weapon. And I forgot what it means. Death Flower, I think it was._


	3. The New World I: Guns and Roses

_**v.3 Beta: ErenJaeger17, Sir Attlich**_

* * *

The sun was barely halfway up the sky, with not a single cloud to bother it.

Being curious to a fault (that being one of her main traits), Ruby Rose bent over and picked up the spent cartridge, rolling it between her fingers before putting it up to her left eye. She gulped at the sight of the hollow piece of steel, and ran a hand through her hair as she realized she couldn't find a trace of Dust within the metal. The red-skirted girl looked towards the small town she had meant to pass through on her way to Vale, or more precisely - Beacon Academy. The place looked like a complete disaster zone: Smashed windows, upturned stalls reduced to splinters, cobblestone and pavement cracked by explosive damage, and some of the Grimm that were still slowly dissipating. She blinked, and looked back down at the spent cartridge casing in her hand.

She raised her eyebrows when she noticed she was standing right next to the stature of the town's founder that was lying face first on the cobblestone. As if someone had launched a Grimm into it and knocked it off its foundations. _'Whoa,'_ she thought, a bit excited from that possibility.

"Excuse me miss?" Ruby turned her head to see an elderly man with a garbage bag extend her hand towards her, smilingly. "I'll take that."

"Sure," Ruby smiled and dropped it into the bag. "Sooooo…what happened here?"

"Grimm happened," another man called out to her as he swept up the glass from his shop's display window. "Last night a whole pack of them just rolled right into town."

Ruby became alarmed. There were Grimm along the coast of Vale? She was told that the roads past all the towns and villages leading to the capital would be clear, the mountains bordering the country were more than enough to keep the Grimm out. The old man saw her alarm and reassured her, "It's alright missy. He took care of every last one of em'."

"Yeah, and he left us to clean up his mess!" the other man exclaimed. "The way he was flinging Grimm and pieces of the damn town itself everywhere - he could've killed someone! Inconsiderate prick!"

"Eeeeee!" Ruby covered her ears and closed her eyes. "Bad word! Bad word!" She opened her eyes to see the townsfolk's stares on her and she flushed in embarrassment. She swallowed, "Who is he?"

"A Huntsman," a woman answered as she passed by. "But he didn't look like any kind of Huntsman we've ever seen. He was definitely not from around here."

"He looked like a soldier," another passerby said. "He was wearing armor."

"That don't look like any kind of armor I've ever seen any soldier wear. He looked more like a robot."

"And all he asked in return was for some supplies and directions to the _'capital'_ , as in Vale City. What kind of Huntsman doesn't know which direction Vale is?"

Ruby blinked as she tried to catch up to what everyone her was saying, "Huh?"

"Were you heading to Vale City as well, young lady?" the old man asked. He looked grim when Ruby nodded, "I think you should take a different route, perhaps another road that he's not walking on. The way he fought the Grimm with that chainsaw, those guns of his and his own two hands, he looked to be enjoying himself, and that's someone who'd bring nothing but trouble."

 _'His bare hands?_ ' Ruby thought amazed. She glimpsed at the spent casing still scattered around the ground. _'A Chainsaw? His non-Dust using guns?'_ She felt herself becoming giddy at the thought of such hardware in the hands of a powerful, unique Huntsman. Somebody that she dreamt of becoming herself, and here was a chance to finally meet one.

"Oh, gee. He's definitely someone I should avoid," Ruby slowly said, scratching the back of her head. "Maybe I should take another road to Vale, away from someone like him.

The old man smiled. He obviously hadn't picked up the sarcasm, "I'm glad to see you know sense, girl. There's an airship that can take you all the way to-"

"THANKSGOTTAGOBYEEEEE!" And Ruby seemingly disappeared from the old man's sight as she took off, sending dust, casings and the old man's hat flying all over as she exited the town square and leaving a bunch of flabbergasted townsfolk.

 _'Not even a day away from Patch and already I'm about to meet a Huntsman,'_ Ruby thought excitedly as she made her way out of town. _'He doesn't even use Dust and he still managed to kick Grimm butt! Bet he's just as strong as Uncle Qrow!'_

There would be some times in the future when she would look back at this moment and drastically reconsider her thoughts concerning the _'Armored Huntsman.'_ And why on that day her hand had been edging towards her High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe labelled _Crescent Rose_ at the mention of the Armored Huntsman, and her desire to compare it to the arsenal he carried.

(RWBY)

 **The New World I:**  
 **Guns and Roses, Beneath The Black Snow**

 _Be wary of even the fair maiden's innocent, purest smile. For behind it there is a warrior's soul ready to be unleashed, untainted that it will withstand unholy damnation to bring even the Shadow Realms to heel._  
 _ **\- Corrax Entry 5:14**_

(RWBY)

As the sun was now setting and started to hide behind large snowy clouds, Ruby shivered slightly, prompting her to wrap her cloak around herself. Though boring and dirty, to walk through one dirt road is to walk through all of them, as Ruby would reason herself when she traveled alone, her left-hand inches away from Crescent Rose, just in case Grimm suddenly showed up. Ruby smiled lightly, not that she'd have any trouble killing them. She blinked when she thought she saw smoke rising just up ahead.

"Huh?" she muttered. She immediately thought the worst when realization kicked in, "Oh no."

It felt like she had stumbled upon a Grimm killing field, the smoke being the corpse of dozens of which she recognized as Beowolves were still slowly dissipating amidst the snow that was still falling.

"Aw!" Ruby groaned as she inched her hand away from Crescent Rose, "I think I missed something awesome." Examining one of the fading bodies, she could plainly see holes punched right through its head and chest. Stepping back, she nearly tripped over a severed head. Ruby gasped lightly at the head torn from its faded body. Looking around eagerly Ruby knew that this _'Armored Huntsman'_ couldn't be too far ahead.

Out the corner of her eye she glimpsed a light past the trees leading deep into the forest. Stepping off the dirt road she stepped into the forest her hand on Crescent Rose as she moved past the trees, which provided some cover from the snow as she made her way towards the light, hoping that it would be somewhere she could spend the night out of the snow, and somewhere to hole up in case there were any more Grimm nearby. Not that she was worried, mind, she was confident that she could handle them.

The source of the light itself proved to be a peculiar sight: A clumsily skinned deer on a spit roast made of branches in the mouth of a cave. And reclining against the wall, with his helmet at his feet and a face obscured by the flames from where Ruby was standing, was a guy clad in sci-fi looking armor that looked like it was torn straight off the secret boss from Kung Fu Slayer Ultimate Death Battle II who was devouring the hind leg of the deer. And laid out beside him on a small sheet were several large guns and one even larger chainsaw, all looked to be cleaned and properly maintained. At this point, Ruby resisted the impulse to salivate at the sight of such big, impressive looking weaponry when she noticed the Armored Huntsman, who equipped his helmet, slowly pulling his free hand away from the large spacey-looking handgun, the Huntsman obviously not seeing her as a threat.

"Uh…hi, there…" Ruby smiled and waved at the reclining figure. "I saw your campfire and…" She couldn't see his eyes through the shadows that look like they were deliberately obscuring his face, but she could tell he was looking rather unconcerned about her. "Mind If I sit here, you know - out of the snow for a while?" The Huntsman looked up at her.

"…"

The sound of air being released was heard as the Huntsman removed his helmet and put it down beside him, shadows yet again obscuring his face. She forced a smile, simply because she did not what else to do.

Pointing his thumb, he gestured for her to sit down at the other side of the cave entrance. Her eyes widened when she heard a blade being drawn and her hand instinctively went for Crescent Rose. She paused when saw the Slayer drive a combat knife into the deer, slicing off the hind leg and bringing it to his barely visible, snarling mouth where he opened wide and bit and chunk out of it, chewing loudly. Ruby swallowed, nervousness creeping in as she tried to think of ways to keep the Slayer's attention.

"Silver eyes," she nearly jumped when she heard the Slayer's rough voice state that fact, his mouth revealing bloodstained, slightly jagged teeth.

Whoa, deep voice! Ruby thought. Shaking her head, she said, "Uh…yeah, heh…they're always the first thing people notice. And you have…err…" She squinted when she tried to make out the Slayer's face hidden in shadows. "Um…blue? Brown? Shadow?"

Grunting, the Slayer bit another chunk out of the deer's leg, Ruby wincing lightly at the sound of meat being torn from bone and teeth loudly tearing into it. She noted the scar running up the right side of his pale chin to his mouth across his square jaw and wondered if the shadows were deliberately moving itself so that she couldn't see his face, letting off an aura of dread that Ruby could somehow feel and it caused her to shiver lightly. Swallowing lightly, she reached forward towards the knife stuck into the side of the deer, sliced off the right front leg and bit into the slightly uncooked meat.

The Reaper and the Slayer ate in silence, with Ruby occasionally glancing at the Armored Huntsman and looking despondent that he was ignoring her, treating her like she didn't exist. Moving his fist up to his mouth he belched into it before tossing the bone into the fire, sending embers flying upward, causing Ruby to scoot back some from the fire.

He was the antisocial type, Ruby realized. This could be tricky - she too was antisocial.

"I…you're on your way to Vale, right?" she asked quietly. "I'm heading that way too." She gave a small smile, "If you like we…we could, you know, travel together? I mean, not if you don't want to. Just…" she trailed off timidly. "Like they always say: Safety in pairs, right?" The Slayer continued eating. Ruby sighed, feeling like she had messed up somehow. "Least I think that's a saying I-"

Looking back at the Slayer she let a faint 'eep' when he suddenly thrust what appeared to be a military-issue water canteen into her face. Ruby blinked in utter perplexment as she slowly accepted it, unscrewed the tap, and took a swig from it. Some of it went down the wrong way as she was left a spluttering mess. Handing the canteen back she patted her chest. "S-sorry," she coughed out. Wiping her mouth, she gave an appreciative smile, "Thanks."

The Slayer took a drink himself before storing the canteen right back on his harness. Ruby couldn't help but feel gleeful, that she was finally starting to make progress with this Armored Huntsman. So far, he proved nice enough to share his campfire, food, and water with her, so maybe he could tell her how he managed to slay those Grimm without the use of Dust.

Time to break the ice again. "My big sister Yang's in Vale and I'm on my way to see how she's doing," she explained, fondness in her voice that the Slayer didn't fail to miss, and feel weary over. "She's starting at Beacon Academy this year and I'm hoping to enroll there in a couple of years once I graduate from Signal…as in, Signal Academy on Patch where I come from and where my dad teaches, heh, in case you didn't know." She paused, chuckling a bit when she realized she had been talking too fast.

She was disappointed when the Slayer didn't grace her with a comment about her wanting to become a Huntress.

"You…don't like other people, do you?" Ruby asked, apprehensive. When the Slayer's continued silence proved to be his response, Ruby simply nodded and looked back at the fire "That's ok, I don't really like being around other people, either." She smiled, "Except for Crescent Rose, that's my sniper-scythe. And my big sister. And dad." It became sad when she went on, "And mom."

The Slayer's lips pursed at the mention of Ruby's parents. He asked, "You're close?"

Turning her head to look she inquired, "To Yang and dad?"

"Hm." Not her mom?

Wait. She gave her weapon a name?

"Yeah, of course," she smiled and rubbed the back of her head as she looked back at the fire. "They're family, we're as close as we can be-" Facing the Slayer again he was already up and walking away his weapons packed up and magnetized to his armor and his knife in its sheathe. Ruby caught a glimpse of his spiky light auburn hair as he put his helmet on. Alarmed she stood up and reached out to him, "Hey wait! I-"

The Slayer interrupted her. "Go home. And live happy." he said with his back turned.

Stunned and disconcerted by the stranger's words Ruby quietly watched as the Slayer left the warmth of the cave and back into the surrounding forest. She blinked, confused. "Was it something I said?" Feeling like it was her fault her face turned into a frown. She blew her chance to make an impression upon a Huntsman, and he thought she wasn't good company, more less telling her to go home and give up being a Huntress. "Was it something I said?" Ruby muttered and hugged her legs to herself as she sat alone in the mouth of the cave.

Maybe she should've taken the airship straight to Vale. That thought quickly faded when out the corner of her eye she noticed Grimm speeding right past the cave and in the direction of the Armored Huntsman. Alarmed, she finally got her hands around Crescent Rose.

(RWBY)

Five minutes passed and the Slayer was still walking through the forest, as far away from that reddish-black haired girl and her silver eyes. The moment he saw Ruby Rose, dumb name, the Slayer's first instinct had been to tell her to piss right off, say the meanest thing he could think of to her, maybe even wave his shotgun right in her face for good measure. He survived a thousand years in Hell among such horrific company - he wasn't going to give fate a chance to start killing the first good, pure human that had the misfortune of crossing his path.

Good and pure, that was what he thought of Ruby Rose the second she mentioned her family. Too good and pure to be a warrior, to make the sacrifices necessary, damn her soul beyond redemption with the blood of humanity's foes and to walk the path of perpetual torment. It was his burden, and only his. That and the way innocence was oozing out of our even she spoke about becoming a Huntress – how this world presumably refers to its warriors – unsettled him.

He should have told her to piss right off. But he didn't.

And as he pulled his fist out of the Beowolf's already fading skull she's probably going to join in the fight he had just stumbled right into as more of those Grimm monsters appeared. He reached for his super shotgun and blew the left foreleg of another one that had charged his way just as he pulled his fist out, where he proceeded to put his foot through the skull of the next Beowolf, ichor splashing up onto his knees. Realizing the forest wouldn't give him much room to swing his chainsaw he went back on the move, heavy assault rifle in hand as he headed back to the dirt road past the trees.

Or he would have if the Alpha Beowolf hadn't lunged at him from his blindside and knocked him right through a tree, sending splinters flying all over and landing right on top of him on the muddy ground. Noticing the glint of a scope out of the corner of his eye as his hands clasped the Alpha's claws struggling with it as it ferociously tried to get at his helm, he put his right foot up against its chest and pushed it upward high enough for high-caliber sniper round to render its skull to pieces in a blaze of fire that reflected off the Slayer's visor. The Slayer kicked its body off himself, reached for his shotgun and shot the next Beowolf to come at him in the face, blowing its right foreleg off and giving him down to stand back up, where he finished it off with a direct shot to the head.

Ruby pulled the hammer of Crescent Rose and loaded another Fire Dust round as the Slayer switched to his heavy-looking scoped assault rifle/missile launcher combo and fired away at the Grimm surrounding him, ducking, and dodging among their swings and lunges as he delivered death unto them. Seeing another Grimm attempt to blindside him she took him and pulled the trigger, thinking, _'Don't miss. Don't miss, Crescent Rose.'_ The Dust round skimmed past the back of the Slayer's head and blew a hole right through the Beowolf's chest.

The Slayer pushed himself off the ground with one hand, shoving the Alpha Beowolf aside, reaching for chainsaw and swinging it at another Beowolf. Less pinning it and more sawing through the Grimm, the tree, and the tree next to it sending them toppling down and flattening more Grimm.

Ruby didn't fail to notice the Grimm lunging at her from behind, quickly transforming Crescent Rose into its scythe configuration, the sounds of turning gears in her weapon proving louder than the Beowolves' howls, which were cut short as Ruby swung away at the Grimm, slicing them to ribbons and sending pieces flying, one of them bouncing off the back of the Slayer's helmet. The Slayer was already looking through the scope of his heavy assault rifle as he aimed at Ruby's direction, the girl gasping as she transformed Crescent Rose back into its rifle form. She paused when the Slayer's bullets skimmed past her head and took out the one Grimm she didn't account fire, it's blackish blood mixing with falling snow.

What followed was more gunfire, beastly howls, the rattle of chainsaw and scythe transformation cutting through the air as the Slayer and the Reaper fought their way out into a clearing in the middle of the forest, snow still falling from the sky and onto the Grimm. More Beowolves rushed them from the forest by the dozens and surrounding the two of them, forcing them back to back. Deciding that he had to save his ammunition the Slayer had both hands on the chainsaw, barely registering the girl rubbing her back against his armor she gripped Crescent Rose, the Grimm circling them and snarling.

"Hey, wanna see who can kill the most Grimm?" Ruby asked. At first was the Slayer was taken back by her cheerfulness, but he relished the competition. He revved his chainsaw several times and pointed it towards the Grimm. Taking this as her answer, Ruby smirked, "Game on!"

 **++Recording battle data. Subject: Ruby Rose,++** VEGA announced right out of nowhere, nearly catching the Slayer off-guard. Before he could voice his opinion, he found that the Grimm weren't waiting around. The Slayer sliced in half the first one that hurled itself at his chainsaw, and shoulder charged the next one and knocking it over, as he brought his foot down on its neck, crushing its windpipe. His hand curled into a fist, releasing a devastating uppercut with his free hand upside another Beowolf's jaw, his fist appearing right through its skull. It practically exploded when he pulled his fist out.

Ruby gasped at the Slayer's strength. _'WHOA!'_ she cried internally. She didn't miss the claw marks on his armor from the Grimm that had him pinned down earlier. This sat off warning bells immediately. _'Wait…he doesn't have an Aura?!'_ she thought, alarmed at the sudden realization.

The growls from the Beowolves heading her way brought her out of her thoughts and leapt into the avoid their swipes. Leveling Crescent Rose in its sniper form at them, she pulled the trigger, scoring several headshots in quick succession, transforming it back a scythe to slice another apart vertically as it leaped up at her.

And roses were falling, the Slayer noticed as Ruby land beside him.

"Where's your Aura?" Ruby asked, discharging the spent cartridge from Crescent Rose. "How come it's not absorbing any damage?" The Slayer looked over at Ruby, holding the gaze long enough for Ruby to realize he didn't know what she was talking about. Her eyes widened, "You mean~?" She cringed and ducked as the Slayer swung the chainsaw with one hand into the chest of another Beowolf, putting his foot against the beast as he pulled the blade out and cleaved it horizontally in half. Ruby raised Crescent Rose and blasted another Beowolf directly in the head.

The Slayer gave pause when he saw Ruby suddenly disappear in a flurry of rose petals as another Grimm slashed away at her, appearing behind it and swinging her scythe and slicing it across the back of its neck. His attention was more on the roses and not on her ability to move so fast that she practically teleports – Rosewarps – whatever you call it. Another Grimm drew his attention, and he expressed his annoyance by caving the Beowolf's skull in with a quick elbow, scowling at the back of its impacted head. That wasn't missed by Ruby.

 _'He's…pretty strong.'_ she mentally noted. _'He might be stronger than dad and Yang combined.'_

Trees being felled could be heard as both Slayer and Reaper turned to see a large Grimm tearing out of the forest, sending trees flying and falling down on them. They managed to roll out of danger with ease, the Slayer taking a good look at this new form. **++ Analyzing, ++** VEGA stated, the Slayer looked at the massive, mutant-looking bear – complete with spiked chitinous armor over its head, back and legs. It noticed the Slayer's staring and roared at him, preparing to charge him and Ruby.

The Slayer narrowed his eyes at the ursine abomination. He cracked his knuckles, "What's that?"

"That's an _Ursa Major,_ " Ruby replied. She smiled, "Let's kill it."

"…" the Slayer looked at her peculiarly, before the Ursa roar drew his attention and Ruby.

He fired off a charged shot from his pistol that hit the Ursa right between the eyes, stunning it. Ruby launched herself straight at with Crescent Rose, spinning in midair with the blade aimed at its neck. The Ursa raised his right paw and blocked her strike, the point of the scythe impaling itself through its palm. Ruby cringed as the Ursa stood on its hind legs, roaring as it shook its palm frantically, sending Ruby flying straight towards a charging Slayer. The Slayer stretched his left arm and caught Ruby by her hood, swinging her right back toward it. She grabbed the handle of Crescent Rose as she flew past the Ursa, tearing it right out of its palm and switching it to gun-scythe mode and firing at it.

The Ursa roared with agony, reared up as the Slayer swung his chainsaw and sliced it across the belly with both hands on the hilt. Blackish blood sprayed all over before it threw itself upon the Slayer, who leaped out of the way with the aid of his jump boots. He raised his chainsaw and brought it down on its head. Sparks flew as it hit the bone armor on its left paw and it lunged forward, slamming its head into the Slayer and sending him flying some feet away where he managed to skid along the ground before doubling over and falling onto one knee.

The Slayer looked up to see the Ursa charged him and he stood up, chainsaw still in hand as it brought itself down upon him. By this point, Ruby had managed to land safely back on the ground. Again, she launched herself right back at the beast and swing Crescent Rose, taking off it's right ear and causing it rear up in rage as it spun around to face her instead. The Slayer leaped up into the air, boosting himself and landing on top of its back, his hand gripping on the massive white chitinous spike protruding out of its back. This drove the Ursa completely berserk as it stood on its hind legs as it tried reaching behind itself for the Slayer, bellowing as it felt a piece the spike being torn from its back. Ruby jumped out of the way and watched in amazement as the Slayer tore the spike right out of the Ursa Major's back and drove it right through the back of its head, the business end sticking out of its mouth. Snow as sent flying into the air as it fell to the ground, it's groan muffled before being finally silenced when the Slayer tore the spike out and impaled it again through its head and out it's right eye.

 **++ Recording complete. Archiving battle data.++**

The Slayer than just hopped of the dead Ursa's back, looking like he wasn't even winded. Ruby swallowed, her eyes wide as saucers as she slowly approached the Slayer, looking concerned and she extended her hand towards him. "Hey, are you alrig~?" The Slayer gasped lightly and flinched when he felt Ruby's fingers on his armor through the receptors built underneath the plating and pulled away from the girl. He looked over his shoulder at her with a look of contempt he hoped she could sense. And judging from how dejected she looked, she did. "O-oh, I'll…just stand over here and…leave you alone," Ruby said, pointing over towards a spot away from him that faced the trees. She walked over there, letting what sounded like a sad whine.

And that only infuriated the Slayer. So much skill, power, and speed behind such a deadly weapon; in the hands of an innocent little girl who looked like she had just treated their entire battle like if it was just a game. Her world was infested with these creatures of Grimm and she could be so…so…the Slayer gritted his teeth and let out a soundless cry of frustration before he opened his eyes to finally notice the rose petals that had been flying around since Ruby extended Crescent Rose.

 _'Roses?'_ The Slayer raised his hand catching a fistful of petals. Quietly examining them lying in the palm of his gauntlet, he felt unsure about how he should react to seeing something that died along with everything else from his world centuries ago. He glimpsed over his shoulder at Ruby, their backs turned to one another as she appeared despondent that he was ignoring her. It was his first time seeing such beauty amongst carnage.

And for the chance to see it again.

He sighed, and rolled his eyes.

"William."

Ruby paused and spun around to look at him in surprise. Annoyed that he had to repeat himself, the Slayer narrowed his eyes and said with tone to match.

"What did you say?"

"My name's William."

Ruby's eyes widened, "W-William?" Her smile then threatened to split her face in half. "Ok. Just William, huh?" The Slayer nodded. "Fine by me," Ruby replied happily.

"…" William blinked incredulously at the girl's good nature in the face of his rudeness. " Dust, Aura, Semblance," he stated as he pointed at her. "Everything you know."

Ruby looked hopeful. "You wanna be travel buddies after all?" Again, William nodded. He was taken back when he thought he saw stars in Ruby's eyes as she asked. "And you'll tell me everything about your weapons?" William gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "Great!" Ruby blinked, emphasizing her eyes as she hopefully asked again. "Can I hold one of them."

Ejecting the spent shell from his shotgun William magnetized it back on its place on his armor.

"Awwwwwww…" Ruby whined in disappointment.

 **++ I will be recording this conversation for future reference until we have ascertained formal records of the history, processing and application of** _ **'Dust'**_ **,++** VEGA stated. **++ Once we have established a base of operations in Vale City we can begin searching for a way to contact the UAC and request Dr. Hayden to tether us back to Mars. ++**

"…" William sighed, before cringing as he felt Ruby begin to enthusiastically drag him along the dirt road. "…eh?!"

"C'mon travel buddy…ONNNNWAARRRDDDD to Vale!" Ruby stretched out her arm and pointed east. "Onward to my big sister! Onward to _Beacon_!"

William glimpsed over his shoulder at the fading remains of the Grimm they had just slaughtered. They came out no worse for wear, – of the physical or even _mental_ kind – that much evident for Ruby. How can this girl continue to act so…so _innocent_ after slaughtering these monsters? Then again, he had no right to judge. How many _millions_ of Hell's minions had he slain and he still behaved like the same vengeful, angry young man thrust into the position of Praetor of the Night Sentinels? And as he was dragged along by a giggling Ruby, her hands clasping his and pulling him with strength that no girl her size should have, he resisted the urge to pull away from her for fear of ripping her arms from her sockets from his own inhuman strength alone. Non-hostile human contact in possibly tens of thousands of years, and she was _annoying_ him.

And yet it felt endearing at the same time. Seeing those _roses_ in combat again would be worth a little social interaction. Heading back towards the dirt path leading through the forest and leaving the bodies of the Grimm the two of them slaughtered to fade, he had feeling he would be seeing plenty more roses soon enough.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Didn't really want to write the Doom Slayer as a complete ball of anti-social misery and homicidal rage. The elevator scene at the start of Doom and him fist-bumping that doll of himself shows a different side to him and I plan to explore that as I develop his character._

 _And his name, William, I didn't choose it at random either. ^_^_

 _Speaking of which hope I nailed Ruby's personality right. I'd imagine she'd be fascinated with the Doomguy and his big guns at first sight. In fact, I think she'd fall in love with the guns, actually._


	4. The New World II: Sign of Evil

**v.3 Beta: ErenJaeger17, Sir Attlich**

* * *

The voice of Adam Taurus was giving out from all the screaming.

The Faunus tried to moan from his tired throat, gagging as William drove his thumbs deeper into his eye sockets. Blood sprayed onto his visor. He turned his head to see another White Fang mook rushing at him, while screaming, with a sword. William's fist, however, punched right through the blade, embedding itself between his armored knuckles and splitting the White Fang's head in two. The corpse flied to join the thousands upon thousands of more Faunus and Grimm corpses littering in an open, desolate battlefield. Their blood all seeped out into a small red and black lake in which William was standing foot-deep in.

He turned to finish off Adam, but suddenly he found himself stumbling down a fenced road. For the first time in who knows how long, he felt safe. He felt relaxed. He chose this moment to pull his hood back and take off his helmet.

He was then reduced to a quivering mess as he felt to his knees and threw up, coughing and spluttering what was left of the Pinky meat that was still in his stomach, even after lying thousands of years in a sarcophagus. It was the culmination of everything he had been through: the loss of his world of Argent D'Nur, his eternal crusade upon Hell, his eons lasting nightmare of watching his world and everyone he knew burn, and his war resuming on this new world – Remnant.

Remnant of what?

The whinny of a horse drew his attention. He looked up to see a white stallion approaching him, the glare from the rising sun obscuring the rider. He squinted as the Slayer raised his hand to block the glare, before giving up and shutting his eyes, staring down at the ground. This was… stupid, weak, and ultimately, unbecoming of a Praetor of D'Nur. He winced as he heard the rider dismount and step towards him.

William willed himself to open his eyes to see the rider pull back her green hood and was greeted by a brown haired, amber-eyed young woman dressed in simple looking clothes, with a water skin in her hands. She approached him, getting down one knee, and extending it to him. He regarded her wearily, before quickly accepting the skin and greedily downing its content, spluttering lightly as some of it went down the wrong way. He wiped his mouth and exhaled, only to find that the Maiden was now offering him a red apple, with a smile on her face. He moved to snatch the apple, but relented when he saw how relenting her smile was. He gently accepted it, and slowly bit into it. His eyes widened at the taste – something he has not experienced in a long time.

 _ **William?**_

"…" they were both silent all the while, but their actions speaking louder than words.

He finished the apple – spitting the pips into his hand and flicking them into the earth and stood up. The Maiden rose along with him and extended his helmet back to him. Their fingers briefly brushed against each other as he took the helmet put it back on. She then bent over and handed him his chainsaw, her strength intriguing the Slayer. His right hand rested on the handle, putting the chainsaw across his shoulder. He reached around his head and grasped his hood, pulling it back over his head.

 _ **Hey William?**_

The Slayer and the Maiden regarded one another silently. She turned and pointed east.

 _ **Time to wake up…**_

Even in his dreams, even in the presence of a beautiful maiden, there was no peace to be had.

He woke up…

(RWBY)

 **The New World II:**  
 **Sign of Evil, Obscured by Shroud**

 _Treat the beastmen's women delicately. For she is of more sound of mind and reason than the men who easily succumb to the rage that drives them feral. Do not be so quick to judge should one carry a blade in one hand and a gun in the other, for she might very well be the one to redeem the beastmen of their sins long past against D'Nur._  
 _ **\- Corrax Entry 8:6**_

(RWBY)

"Good morning Will-EEEP!"

Formerly chirpy despite her tired looking face, Ruby winced as she found herself staring down the barrel of William's sawn-off 'Super Shotgun', the first thing he had reached for when Ruby roused him awake as the sun started to rise.

"Uh…were you having a nice dream?" Ruby asked. She heard the Slayer sigh in annoyance and lowered the gun, as he got up and cracked his back before stretching his arms. Ruby giggled - it was so funny that he had slept in his armor, including his helmet. William suddenly turned his head back at Ruby, wiping the smile off her face.

He walked off into the trees close to the lake they had camped out for the night, probably to do his business away from prying eyes, stepping on top of the dozens and dozens of dead Grimm that had attacked them constantly the night before and early morning. Ruby found herself at a complete loss towards William. The way he carried himself as they walked together, almost robotic in nature as if he was weary of the world around him. The way he looked at things like trees, plants, animals, the clouds in the sky, the moon at night, even her; how he held his gaze at them as if he hadn't seen them for an eternity, or if he was afraid they might just suddenly disappear in front of him.

How he refused to show his face to her.

And how he hardly spoke. And whenever he did it was always to the point. No feeling in his voice whatsoever. It wasn't a lack of emotion, it was more like…like…Ruby hummed as she tapped her cheek in thought - she couldn't think of the word.

She couldn't see his Aura, let alone sense if he even had one - the implications of which were unpleasant. As she had explained to him that Aura was manifestation of one's soul, that could be used in combat over a wide range of abilities born to a Huntsman or Huntress. Their most special ability was their Semblance, a talent that was unique only to them. And all of that flew right over William's helmet, so to speak. Not that it made him any less of the powerful Huntsman, since he was probably the only Huntsman who doesn't use Aura. That is if he even was a Huntsman... or even human.

Ruby swallowed. There was no doubt he was the strongest person she had ever met, the way he tore apart all those Grimm that attacked was something to behold. But even that, was William even from around here, from Remnant?

The howling of the Beowolves could be heard coming from the forest and was followed by the sound of one being kicked right out of the trees and landing right in front of Ruby, gagging as it tried to breathe through where it's throat used to be. Ruby sighed and drew Crescent Rose. And there of course were the Grimm attacks which begun last night, and that two of them took shift keeping on the watch as they were attacked no less than five times before the sun had risen, with only about eight hours sleep between them - no wonder she was still feeling a bit tired.

No matter. Another day's walk and they'll be at Vale, and her big sister Yang.

Minutes later they were on the road again, leaving behind another slaughtering ground of dead Grimm. The snow had nearly melted away, revealing all the green in the forest they were travelling through. Ruby keeping some distance behind William, seeing him walk with his helmet under his right arm and his hood pulled over his head. The Reaper mentally prepared herself to press him further on his identity, so caught up in her thoughts she barely noticed the apple core William tossed over his shoulder and barely skimming past her cheek just before he put his helmet back on. Ruby took a deep breath and rejoined William, appearing beside him using her Semblance, with a forced smile threatening to split her face.

"Soooo…" she began. "Picking up from last night. Ummm…where'd you want me to start?"

" _Aura._ " William replied.

"Oh, yeah. So," she cleared he throat as she tried to sound as dignified as possible. "Aura's basically your living force that forms a shield around you, and it protects you from whatever or whoever comes your way. It's a manifestation of your own soul."

"…that's retarded."

Ruby thought she was about to drop to the ground from shock at that statement. She looked that stupefied, "Uh-wha-?"

"Your soul protects your body? Supposed to be the other way around," William turned his head, Ruby feeling like he was staring at her seriously and she shrunk a bit from his gaze. The Slayer recalled those Faunus he fought and him shattering their Auras like punching through glass shields. "And if your _'Aura'_ breaks?"

"You…you retreat and wait for it to…recharge?" Ruby quietly replied, sounding a bit unsure. William gaze returned to the road. "How do you fight without Aura?" She asked. William cracking his armored knuckles was his answer. Ruby's winced from listening to the bones crack underneath the gauntlets. "Guess you really don't need Aura as long as you got that suit, huh?"

"Yep."

"But… it looks a bit…worn…ish?"

"…"

Suddenly Ruby smiled enthusiastically and asked, "Who built it for you?" Never mind she had noticed that I/O Logistics Manufacturing (a company she never heard of - probably Atlesian) had its logo stamped on the left arm along with the number 8623 on it, but she wanted to hear it from him. Her smile disappeared and her enthusiasm suddenly took a dive when she noticed the way he clenched his left fist and his head dipped a bit.

"…something."

Ruby couldn't hold back any longer. Her promise to explain Aura among other things to a frighteningly proficient (and admittingly awesome) warrior was setting off quite a few warning bells, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"…" William didn't bother to turn his head. "Just figured that one out?" The condescension with that answer and the way the Slayer talked down to her hurt. She raised her eye suddenly when William added, "No."

Ruby's eyes widened, "Oh." Internally she felt gleeful, Finally, getting somewhere. Her smile softened, "So, where do you come from?" William abruptly stopped walking still staring ahead silently. Overtaking him Ruby skidded to a halt and turned, alarmed that she might have hit a sore spot. The Slayer dipped his head a bit pensively. "William?" Ruby squeaked nervously.

"Argent D'Nur." William responded as he resumed walking.

The sound, pronunciation and otherworldliness of William's answer threw her for a loop, "Argent D…D'Nur?" She quietly pronounced it herself. She frowned a bit when it didn't sound like somewhere familiar. Realizing that William was once again walking ahead of her, she squeaked and _'rosewarped'_ right beside him. "Is that…somewhere outside Sanus?"

"Sanus?"

"Oh, right…it's the continent the Kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo are. Where're we currently standing right now, heh," Ruby explained absentmindedly. "Is it somewhere in Anima or Sol-?"

"No," William cut her off.

"…" Ruby swallowed nervously. "It's…not anywhere on Remnant, is it?" she asked apprehensively. William didn't answer. She recalled what those villagers back at the last village had said about the Armored Huntsman. _'Looking like he wasn't from around here and his armor nowhere near the kind that Atlas or any other Kingdom had developed.'_ "Um…"

"Yes?" William turned his head as far as his helmet allowed.

"How come you had to leave?"

"…" he held his gaze at her for a few moments. He looked back straight ahead when he answered, "I had to."

"Oh. I'm…sorry?"

"…" William didn't grace her with a response, which was fine with Ruby as she decided to keep silent, realizing that she had gone somewhere dark with the Armored Huntsman. Her eyes widened when William suddenly asked, "You actually fight in that?"

Ruby turned back to him and saw that he was pointing at her skirt. She blushed, before giving an indignant pout and crossing her arms. "It's a combat skirt, thank you very much."

"…right," William drawled.

"Hey! It lets me move around pretty fast."

"Sure."

"I'm serious."

"Uh-huh."

"How are you able to actually move around in that thing?" Ruby scowled as she poked away at the Praetor suit. "I bet it's heavier than that chainsaw you swing around. I bet it's like wearing a tank."

The Slayer brushed her hand away. "Plenty of time to get used to it," William replied. "Saved my ass more than a thousand times." Again, he caught Ruby off guard, not just for his liberal use of the word _'ass'_ but when his voice took on a humorous edge. "Which is probably more than I can say for a skirt." Ruby frowned and turned her head away from with a huff. She couldn't help but smile when she realized that she had gotten the Slayer to open up, if only briefly. "How long?"

"Hm?"

"Till we hit Vale?" William asked.

"Um…lemme check," she pulled out a large map out of her pack and unfold it, bringing it up so that both she and William could look at it. "If we keep heading north-east it'll just be one more village and then it's the agricultural district of Vale." She cried out excitably with a smile, "And Yang. And Beacon-!"

When Ruby lowered the map William's right hand went for his Energy pistol when he saw a rabbit-eared Faunus stumbling on the road toward them. He stopped when he saw that the Faunus was wearing civilian clothes and was covered in blood from a wound in his stomach. The man desperately tried to staunch the bleeding with his right arm as he limped towards them, his left arm outstretched towards them pleadingly. Ruby's gasped and dropped the map.

"H-help me…" the rabbit Faunus gasped out, his strength giving out and collapsing in Ruby's arms as she ran up to him. William quickly retrieved him from Ruby, laying him on the ground. His arm moving away to reveal the deep slash across his cut deep enough to expose the intestines.

"Oh…oh my…" Ruby cried. Her pupils shrunk when she realized she had gotten the man's blood on her hands. "William? W-what did this-?"

The man coughed up blood before he stuttered. "M-my girls…they took them…f-from our house…" He coughed some more, blood ending up on the Praetor suit. "Gutted me…when I tried to stop them…"

"Where?" William coldly asked.

"Up…up the road…" the Faunus answered. "...please…you have to…"

"D-don't talk, ok?" Ruby exclaimed, panicking as she fumbled for her first aid kit. "We'll get you to the next village and get you all patched up. Right, William?" She looked at the Slayer hopefully. He turned her head toward her, before looking down at the Faunus. Ruby was agape when she saw the he had expired, tears rolling down his cheeks from his dull, lifeless eyes. "W-William?"

"He's dead." William stated. His left eyebrow involuntarily raised itself when he noticed that the Faunus' left arm was bleeding underneath his sleeve. Pulling it back his eyes widened right before narrowing his eyes in a cold glare.

 **[YOU, YOU WILL BE WORSE]**  
 **\- DOOM OST -**

 **(0:00 - 0:30)**

Noticing how he had frozen, she looked down at where his hand was, and nearly retched as she realized the bleeding symbol was carved into the Faunus' flesh. An inverted five-pointed pentagram... and somehow looking at it caused her to feel a shiver go up and down her spine. The two points at the top of a pentagram gave the impressions as if they were horns of a beast.

"What does this mean?! William?" And looking back at William and how still he looked, she may as well have walked right into a blizzard. "Uh…William?"

"…"

"HEY WILLIIIIAAAAMMMMMMM…. WAIT FOR MEEEEE!"

Ruby panted as she ran to catch up to William, as the Slayer having taken off running straight ahead. She had given up using her Semblance to catch up to him. He didn't tire, nor was he slowing down, as both of them followed the trail of blood. It ran straight up the path, before suddenly deviating towards another path that lead back into the forest and towards a small hill with a log cabin at the top of it. Ruby ran for three minutes with her legs were burning, before she finally stopped to catch her breath as she heard in the distance the shattering of a door.

When she reached the house, and stepped through the splintered wooden door of the cabin she found William standing a few feet away. Right in front of a large puddle of blood and the corpse of a dark-haired human woman lying face first in it. She gasped and looked away, covering her mouth a fresh wave of nausea came over her.

"W-William…" Ruby coughed as she swallowed it back down. "I-I don't-"

Her eyes were like pinpricks when she heard another voice speak in place of the Slayer, **++No signs of forced entry or struggle in the vicinity. The killers were invited in, possibly by this woman. ++** She turned around to see William kneel before the woman's body, nearly gasping when he grabbed her head and lifted it up to reveal that her throat had been cut. **++No indications of restraint on the body. She allowed her killer to slice her throat in what appears to be ritualistic killing. Rigor is non-present. Blood has barely begun to coagulate. Estimated time of death: Fifteen to Thirty minutes ago.++**

Ruby was bewildered. "William? I…I don't understand…"

 **++Hello Ruby Rose, I am VEGA.++** the AI cordially identified itself. **++I am an artificial intelligence currently being run off the operating system of William's Praetor suit. I was originally created by the Union Aerospace Corporation, programmed for the purpose of assisting and preserving humanity and its interests in history, technology and, most of all, survival. ++**

"Um…uh…" Ruby's eyes were like saucers as she appeared dumbstruck., momentarily forgetting about the still fresh corpse in the room. "O...kay…"

"He's here to help," William cut in. He noticed a framed photo just above the fireplace. Reaching over for it he saw the now deceased rabbit Faunus made beside a human woman, the same dead woman on the floor, and their two children. Two dark-haired girls, one of them a teenager and the other much younger, both with rabbit hairs. And they all had smiles on their face, the photo was obviously taken during much happier times.

"R-right," Ruby shook her head when she got over the shock over the existence of VEGA. She looked at the floor, seeing several bloodied footprints, one of which lead towards the cellar at the other end of the cabin. "We have to find where that man's kids were taken," she stated worriedly. Turning to William she saw him put the photo frame back where it came from, and the way he made sure the photo was facing forward.

William nodded and walked towards the cellar, tearing it open and walking down the steps, leaving Ruby alone. She swallowed loudly, "Okay I'll…look for clues up here and…and…" She glimpsed at the body, it's eyes were open and its pupils rolled up in her eye, almost like it looking at her. "I just need a little air first…"

She stepped back outside.

Her stomach rebelled.

(RWBY)

 **(Cellar, Forest Cabin)**

Drawing his pistol William paused when she heard Ruby coughing as she expelled this morning's rations. He rolled his eyes. He really should have told her to just wait outside, but he figured she had a strong enough stomach. Guess not.

 **++What Rose is currently experiencing is a normal reaction upon first sighting of the deceased. There is no cause for concern.++**

 _'No shit.'_ , William thought, irritated. Even more so when he saw that the room was pitch black save for the light shining down from above. Fumbling around in the dark his fingers felt a switch on the wall and turned it on, illuminating the spacious looking basement. Guess the cabin runs on generators, probably powered by this Dust stuff that seems to be lifeblood of this world. The same way Argent energy was to the Terran peoples of their dimension. Difference being Dust didn't appear to be demonic in nature.

But there just happened to be demonic cult somewhere operating somewhere around here. And if William didn't have a reason to stick around on this rock - he had one now. Scanning the basement – there were some wooden barrels, tool cabinet above a work desk, and an old cupboard; untouched if the cobwebs dirtying it were any indication. He went straight for the cupboard, unwittingly tearing the door open with his strength alone. He glimpsed at the rotten wood in his hand before crushing it and brushing it off on his right thigh. He grunted, seeing that there was nothing of note in the cupboard. Next, he turned towards the tool cabinet, gently opening it to reveal nothing except for some brand new looking tools and an another photo – of the corpse upstairs. He looked down at the desk and felt the drawer underneath it.

He tried to slide it out, but found out it was locked. He simply just tore it off its hinges and tore it out as the wood splintered. He blinked when he saw that a red animal head with three claw marks in the background was emblazoned on a white and black tunic, a hood and Grimm mask right beside it.

"…"

Obviously, the dead rabbit Faunus they left rotting on the side of the road was a member of this White Fang group. But his mate was a human woman and from their union came two half-breed daughters. If it weren't for the pentagram he and Ruby found carved on his arm he would have guessed they it had to have been a reprisal instead of an obvious cult operating somewhere in the area.

"HEY WILLIAM! I FOUND SOMETHING-!" Ruby calling down for him didn't take his mind off the fact he wasn't alone on the basement, nor did it halt his motions in drawing his pistol and pointing it at the old cupboard. It exploded into splinters as a blackened blur drew its oversized cleaver and thrusted it toward his right shoulder. The force thrust him into the wall, through the desk behind him, his pistol blocking the weapon. Yellow, furious eyes that belonged to the young woman dressed in a black-buttoned vest with a white undershirt complete with stockings and low-heeled boots glared at him behind her weapon. What caught his attention the most was the bowtie on top of her head, which was full of long black hair. Suddenly she drew a grey colored katana from the cleaver-sheathe and pinned his free hand into the wall, the force not enough to pierce through the receptors in his palm but strong enough to immobilize him.

She asked the Slayer in a low, threatening whisper, "Where did you get that chainsa-?"

Not strong enough however. He turned his left hand to an angle as the katana slid down the length of his arm, surprising the intruder as she fell forward and the Slayer slammed his forehead into her, knocking her back. Her cleaver-sheathe no longer pinning him to the wall he lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat and slammed her back through what was left of the cupboard and against the far wall.

Where she promptly turned into a statue of earth and encasing his hands in her throat.

"The fuck?" William couldn't keep his surprise to himself. His hesitation cost him, as the girl swung her weapon, slamming into his helmet and cracked his visor. Gripping a piece of her earth clone he hurled it at her, nailing her in the face and drawing a surprised cry from her. Quickly wiping the dirt from her eyes, they widened at the barrel of a double-barreled shotgun. The blast in such a tight space proved near deafening as the pellets passed through a shadow clone which disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 **++ Her** _ **'Semblance'**_ **allows her to create inanimate duplicates of herself. Variations can depend on the type of Dust she can use,++** VEGA stated. **++ Caution is advised.++**

Seeing the intruder head towards the stairs William rushed toward her, grabbing her by the leg as she tried to escape. The cellar door opened to reveal Ruby, "Hey, what's going-? OH!" She nearly fell backwards as the intruder was pulled back down the stairs and flung against the cellar wall by William. The Slayer rounded on her, his fists clenching tightly. He hit her once, which would've usually given someone(or something) a nasty head fracture, but her Aura stopped her from getting killed or getting brain-damaged.

Visibly panicking at the sight of an armored, seemingly invincible monster advancing on her, the intruder switched the magazines in Gambol Shroud to Fire Dust. The highly explosive clone sent William flying upward through the cabin floor, taking Ruby with him as they landed on the grass outside the now burning house. Ruby groaned as she rolled over onto her back.

"Uhhh…?" The Slayer has already backed up on one knee, and shook his head as he turned to Ruby. She squealed in surprise as William tore her cloak off her and threw it to the ground, as his foot stomped on the flames that were caught on the fabric until they were put out. Rubbing her face as she felt a headache brewing, Ruby muttered as she gripped Crescent Rose tightly, "W-what just happened?"

William pointed at the black-haired, bow-tied girl gripping her katana and sheathe as she staggered out the doorway coughing out smoke, the explosion having exhausted most of her Aura. "No way Marlowe would just part with that oversized piece of-" She groaned. The girl looked up to see William reached for pistol; she quickly and desperately transformed her katana into a handgun and leveled it back at him. "Hey!"

"Wait!" Ruby cried as waved her hands about as she jumped between them with their guns drawn. "It doesn't have to be like-!"

William scowled, "You're blocking my shot."

"Mine too," the Shroud replied.

"WILL YOU STOP TRYING TO KILL ONE ANOTHER, PLEASE?!" Ruby screamed, startling the Shroud with her volume. "Please…" Ruby sniffed, the stress nearly bringing her to tears. "No more dead bodies…"

The Shroud blinked, "…I…you didn't kill Marie, then…"

"…" the Slayer felt tempted to lower his pistol, but he saw something that had _chilled_ him to the bone the first time he saw it eons ago, causing him to _straighten_ his aim.

Ruby's eyes bulged in terror as she extended Crescent Rose in its gun mode., "W-what is _**that**_ -?!"

The Shroud heard feet shuffling behind her and turned to find Marie's corpse on its feet, its head lulled as if trying to hide the fact that it's throat was slit.

The Shroud cried, "Mar-" before the corpse grabbed her by the throat, and brought its head back to reveal a disturbing, literally face-splitting smile with its blood red eyes that were glowing with Hell energy. With its free hand, it tore its dress off to reveal the long-healed scars in the form of glowing demonic runes carved over its breasts and navel.

"I checked her body and I noticed the glowing...marks, and I wanted to show them to you," Ruby made out meekly. She was nearly bowled over as William charged back toward the Shroud being throttled by the possessed corpse of Marie. The _**Possessed**_ howled as it noticed William. He grabbed her right arm and ripped it straight off her body, the fingers on the hands scrapping painfully against the black-haired girl's throat as it released its grip from her neck. She coughed before emptying the clip in Gambol Shroud into the Possessed's guts. Its other hand wrenched open, freeing her neck, as it gave the Slayer a wide berth. He swung a meaty left hook that caused the corpse's head to explode like a balloon; filled with blood, teeth and grey matter.

And much of it landed on bowtie's face. She paled, wiping the blood of her face with her hand and seeing bits of brain float in her palm. Gritting her teeth, she transformed her handgun back into a sword and thrusted it at William's side. Ruby was on her instantly, her scythe parrying her thrust before following up with a blunt strike to the chest that knocked her some ways out of house's doorway and landing on her ass outside, where she blacked out momentarily.

Seconds later she fought her way back to consciousness, the only thing on her mind was her friend Derrick, the rabbit Faunus that lived here. If he and his daughters were still alive and safe. Ritualistic murderers, armored walking armories and recent increased and erratic Grimm activity be damned. The side of her face was pushed against the grass as said armory had his palm on the side of her head and knee against her back.

"What the hell was that?!" the Shroud exclaimed angrily. "That wasn't Marie!"

"I know," William replied.

"William, do you have to be so rough?" Ruby asked.

"Yep," William deadpanned. Spitting grass out of her mouth the Shroud suddenly froze up when he addressed her. "What were you doing here?" He aimed his pistol down at her face, "Try to stick around."

She didn't doubt that he could put a hole in her head before she could use her Semblance again. "Visiting…friends," the bowtie made out, lacing her voice with anger in an attempt to hide how frightened she was at this moment. "I…I know them, alright?"

"Why were you hiding from us, though?" Ruby asked.

"I thought the people who did this came back! I was planning to get the drop on them, but I didn't count on you!" the Shroud exclaimed. "But it wasn't you that killed Marie, was it?"

"…" the way William shifted himself it appeared he was contemplative. "William."

The Shroud managed to glare over his shoulder at William even as he pinned her to the grass, "Excuse me?"

"His name's William," Ruby said. "My name's Ruby Rose." She and the Slayer exchanged rather dubious glances. She asked, "What's yours?"

Blake grunted as she felt William's grip on her become tighter, "Blake. Blake Belladonna."

 _'_ _Belladonna_ _? Shit, is naming yourself after plants a thing on this world?'_ "Ok," William relaxed his hold on her. "I'm going to let go now." He paused before adding, "Don't give me an excuse."

"William!" Ruby exclaimed. "You don't have to-"

"I just want some answers," Blake replied urgently. She added with some dryness to her tone, "Trust me, I know better than to piss you off now."

"Language!" Ruby exclaimed as she covered her ears.

William stared at Ruby curiously. She's seen two dead bodies in varying states of ritualistic mutilation, killing one them a second time, and now she's back to her usual childish self. He would have considered a state of mind like that somewhat frightening if he wasn't so used to seeing corpses – still, walking or otherwise – for nearly all his life. Guess it was something they had in common: They were both insane, but she seemingly didn't know any better.

"Mind getting off of me now?" Blake cut into his thoughts. He let her go, standing up and allowing Blake to sit up and rub her aching arm, his pistol still trained on her. She didn't fail to notice the energized hand cannon inches away from her head. "Really?"

"Really." William repeated. He asked, "Questions?"

Blake stared daggers up at the Armored Huntsman, "How about what happened to the family that lives here? Derrick, Marie and their daughters…if it wasn't you two who did all this-!"

Ruby raised her eyebrows and turned to William, swallowing nervously. "Should we tell her-?"

"Derrick's dead," both Blake and Ruby gasped as William bluntly delivered the news as bluntly as possible. "His body's where we left it."

"L-left it?!" You just left him on the side of the road?!"

"He asked us to save his daughters," Ruby said. "There wasn't any time to-"

"Just his daughters," William added. "Guess he knew what his wife was up to."

"What?" Blake asked. "Up to what?"

"Horrible shit," William replied. "You knew Derrick was in the White Fang?"

"Huh?" Ruby turned to him, surprised. "White Fang?"

 **++A uniform was found in the basement.++** VEGA clarified. **++Along with what I suspect is White Fang paraphernalia-"++**

"WAS in the White Fang, he WAS!" Blake shouted, ignoring the another, synthesized voice came out of the Slayer. Seemingly stunned by her own outburst she quietly added. "I mean... I heard he used to be in it. But…. he…the last time I saw him he said he left the group because he wanted to take care of his family."

 _'Cause his wife was a human?'_ William squinted questioningly a bit at the bow-tie wearing young woman. "How come you decided to go see him today?"

Blake frowned, "I was just passing by on my way to Vale if you must know."

"Hey, so are we!" Ruby said. To William she smiled a bit uncertainly, "I think you can lower the gun now, William. This…was a bit of misunderstanding."

Blake rubbed her still aching forehead, "A _'bit'_?"

"Tch…" William holstered his pistol as he traced a finger over the crack in his visor. "Before he expired the beas-the Faunus said they took his daughters-"

"So they could be alive, right?" Ruby butted in hopefully. "They might be at the next town."

Blake narrowed her eyes determinedly. "And that's why I'm not stopping for anything!" She then took off towards the forest in the direction of the road towards the next path, leaving the cabin to burn.

"Hey, wa-!" Ruby suddenly found herself being dragged off her feet by her cape as William took off after her. "WILLIAM! WHAT THE...HEY'S GOING ON?!"

"Later!" William gritted his teeth. "There's a place of prayer in the next town? For any religion?"

Unfolding her map Ruby saw that one of the landmarks of the town marked _'Salvation'_ was a rather ancient looking cathedral in the town center that was dedicated to the worship of the Two Deity Brothers, something that she herself had never paid mind to. "Says here there is. Why?"

William felt coldness in his gut. And suddenly for the Doom Slayer, he realized that he had just stumbled once again onto a world of shit. And these two girls – the Reaper and the Shroud - were along for the ride.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hell's already here._

 _That dream sequence at the start. Doomguy gets bombarded with horrific visions throughout DOOM so the occasional 'peaceful' dream where he meets a certain fair Maiden wouldn't be too much of a stretch._

 _My original idea for this chapter was that it would begin with Blake escaping from a village filled with cultists and she has hellish runes carved all over her arm and she would be found by Ruby and William, who follow her back to the village. I scraped it when I decided I didn't want to write any of Team RWBY being victimized and instead just went with Blake surprising and blowing up the Doom Slayer. Didn't really want to follow canon where they meet Blake at Beacon, wanted to diverge a little… you know. ^_^_

 _Figured I break the cutie early. I can imagine RWBYverse minds would start snapping like Kit Kats once they see the kind of shit the Doom Slayer's capable of…_

 _While writing William and Ruby's discussion about Aura it occurred to me they may as well have been talking about rejuvenating health in video games…something DOOM will never go near in a thousand years._

 _And yeah, that was a little experiment in music cues in fan fiction. You can find the track on YouTube. I was thinking of only using them for key moments, but mostly for instances of extreme bloodletting._

 _Also, if you want updates on my writing each chapter check my profile from time to time. Usually I let everyone know when a chapter is a third, halfway, nearly done or being proofread._


	5. The New World III: Corpsegrinder

_**v.3 Beta: ErenJaeger17, Sir Attlich**_

* * *

 _'Grimm activity spiked about twelve hours ago…'_

 _'The Grimm had never gone this deep into Vale and near the city before…'_

 _'It had to have been related to those Atlesian bullheads that had passed by on the flight over here…'_

 _'Something, or someone, has set the Grimm off…'_

Chaos stirred on the ground as the collective thoughts kept circulating through Team CFVY's heads, their leader Coco Adel in particular as she bludgeoned a downed Creep repeatedly across the head with her handbag, each blow giving off the wet sound of a skull being splintered. Adjusting her tinted glasses with a smirk she spotted a pack of Beowolves charging her way and transformed her handbag into its minigun configuration, her smile became more venomous as she proceeded to mow them down. Body parts were flying as the Fire Dust rounds blew them apart. She glanced aside to her right to see her partner Fox Alistair slashing several Beowolves in quick succession with his arm blades. Close by was Yatsuhashi who was covering his partner, Velvet Scarlatina, and was swinging his greatsword, sending Beowolves flying in all directions, while casually ducking to the side as one hurtled right past her, all for the rabbit Faunus' sake as she recovered from using her Semblance.

Her Semblance was responsible for all the fading Grimm corpses littering the streets, through windows and even through solid brick walls - she was just that badass (although Velvet would never admit that). Coco's minigun ran dry, and after transforming it back into its handbag configuration Coco proceeded to smash it into an Ursa's ribcage when it tried to rear up behind her, finishing it off with a boot straight to the head. She felt the breeze as Yatsuhashi's greatsword bifurcated a Nevermore that tried to swoop down at her. The torso sent flying through the window of a house, the frightened screams of its hunkered down occupants were added to the cacophony of the battle.

"Out of ammunition?" Yatsuhashi inquired.

"Yep!" Coco groused. "Didn't think there would be this many."

They turned to Fox as he finished off the last one, seeing him pull his blades out of the shoulders of a Beowolf and letting it drop onto the asphalt. They surveyed the carnage: Forty-six Grimm cadavers, mostly Beowolves, Ursa and Nevermores, scattered around a thoroughly wrecked township.

"Is that all of them?" Velvet asked hopefully.

Coco chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure there's plenty more where that came from." They looked up at the bullhead touching down some distance away, Coco holding onto her beret to keep it from being blown off her head by the aircraft's engines. "But I guess none of them are heading in this direction."

"Huh," Yatsuhashi rolled his arm around it's joint, the bone cracking as he tried to alleviate the discomfort from swinging his greatsword. "Almost a shame."

"So… we're heading back to Beacon now, right?" Velvet said hopefully, watching the bullhead touch down. "It's still morning... and I need another shower."

"Ditto." Coco said and she took of her beret to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand. Suddenly she smirked and got up close to Velvet so that they were rubbing shoulders, "And I think I'll join you." The fashionista clearly enjoyed how flustered her teammate looked, thinking her blush and the way she tried to look away from her was the cutest thing ever.

"Please don't do that." Yatsuhashi hefted his greatsword over his shoulder as he walked past them, Coco all too happy to stick to him. Fox gave her a silent look of expiration, while she could only grin back as they boarded the aircraft, each letting out a sigh as they sat down.

"We're ready to go home anytime now, pilot," Coco announced.

" **Sorry kids, we're taking a short detour first**." Coco's smile faded and Velvet looked deflated as the pilot spoke over the intercom. " **Marysville's got a moderate-to-severe Grimm infestation and we've lost contact with the Huntsmen deployed there and you're the only team outside Vale who can deal with it. There's Dust in the crates so load up before we get there.** "

"'Lost contact'?" Velvet asked, concern lacing her voice. "You don't think it was too much for them?"

Coco shook her head, all business now. "No way. They're supposed to be Vale's best. The ones that actually graduated of the Academy."

"Whatever the case, they need our help" Yatsuhashi pointed out.

" **Lifting off…** " the bullhead ascended out of the village just as Coco opened one of the ammunition crates and began restocking her minigun's magazines. " **Hell** **of a morning, huh kids?** "

Coco pursed her lips, "Morning's not done yet. We'll get back to you on that one."

(RWBY)

 **The New World III:**  
 **Corpsegrinder**

 _Hell dares profane the holy city with their Unwilling slaves' footsteps? For every one we killed I hope they felt each death as if were a kick to their demonic balls!_  
 _ **\- An Unidentified Night Sentinel,**_  
 _ **Following the first (pyrrhic) victory during the defense of the Silvered City, Capital of Argent D'Nur**_

(RWBY)

Huddling behind the chimney of the tallest building in Marysville, Blake peaked around to see the Grimm prowling through the streets and roads of the seemingly emptied town, the bulk of them circling around the cathedral in the town center. A cathedral of the faith of the Two Brothers, the so-called creators of Remnant – of humanity, the Grimm, the world and everything in it. She never liked fairy tales when she was younger, as there were more important things.

Narrowing her eyes at the cathedral she could tell that what was inside was a lure for Grimm, however she couldn't understand why they were just patrolling around the building and didn't just go right in. Beowolves and Ursa were on the ground and Nevermore circling above it. Whatever was inside the cathedral was attracting them, yet at the same time repulsing them. She shivered - it had to be something so horrible that even the Grimm, though attracted to it as it was their nature, were wary of it.

And Fiona and Viola, daughters of her former friend Derrick, were stuck right in the middle of it. Blake scanned the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, pinpointing a way towards the cathedral but to her detriment there weren't any close enough to form a straight path toward the cathedral. It was smack in the town center surrounded by opulent gardens trampled by the Grimm. Way too many to fight through and she'd be cut to ribbons if she tried to just make a break through it.

She nearly jumped when gunfire erupted several blocks behind her at the town entry, spinning around to see Grimm being sent flying in all directions. She gritted her teeth - those two crazies had caught up to her and were drawing the Grimm's attention away from the town center. An opportunity was presented, and naturally - she took it.

Keeping out of the sight as the Grimm went towards the armored man and the girl, she made a beeline straight for the cathedral. She ran across the gardens and climbed up the cathedral wall, up onto the roof and the yellow stain-glass ceiling windows.

Out of respect for the building she would have gently pried open the lock, if one of the Nevermores hadn't noticed her. The Grimm screeched as it dove for the Faunus. Blake suppressed a gasp and tried to dive out of the way as the Nevermore slammed into the roof, crashing through, and sending her falling into the cathedral's nave. Quickly drawing Gambol Shroud and wrapping a black ribbon around the trigger in its pistol form she hurled it upward around a piece of exposed structure, wrapping the gun around it and stopping herself from making impact with the floor. Blake gripped hold of the ribbon like a lifeline, struggling to catch her breath as she stared up at the Nevermore glaring back down at her, looking like it was scared to go after her.

With good reason. Blake noticed her surroundings, and the smell.

"…n-no…"

In shock, she let go of the ribbon and landed flat on her back on the glass-covered ground.

(RWBY)

 **(Marysville, Vale)**

The crack in his visor annoyed him to no end, William had used the last of his micro-missiles as he charged right at the Grimm, blowing several of them apart. He switched his heavy assault rifle for the chainsaw and sliced several more into near unrecognizable, fading chunks. It had been a long time since he had thrown into the thick of it solely with a blade, as nostalgia washed over the Slayer – instead of the chainsaw it was the Crucible – the weapon blessed by the Wraiths themselves that defeated the Titan of Hell…

"WILLIIIIAAAAAMMMMMMMM!"

Ruby leaped several meters up from the trees outside the town walls and fell to the ground with her scythe ready, calling out the Slayer's name and decapitating four Beowolves with one slice, as she landed right behind him - both the Reaper and the Slayer back to back, surrounded by Grimm. William revved the chainsaw some more and Ruby held Crescent Rose tighter with a smile on her face. They then threw themselves against a massive wave of Grimm, ducking and dodging their claws and slicing them right back in return. Slicing one Beowolf across the gut and knocking it down William followed up with a devastating kick to the side, sending it flying with viscera leaking from its wounds as it bowled over several more Grimm.

Piercing squawks drew his attention upward to see a flock of Griffons descending upon him. Jumping out of the way as they touched ground and squawked even louder and more viciously at him, he drew his shotgun. The ammo counter on his HUD read five shells left. Five shells for eight Griffons. "William!" Ruby exclaimed after putting down another Ursa as he saw the Slayer staring down at the Griffons. She tried to move to help him, but she got surrounded by another pack of Beowolves.

The Griffons dove at William - he kept on moving as they snapped and slashed away at him. He tried to line up a shot to the closest one's head. Ducking to the side he shot two of the Grimm's heads, with their skulls exploding in red, black and white skull fragments. Six Griffons, four shells left. Another Griffon lunged at him and he double-jumped to avoid it's snapping beak, slamming his knee down on its head and smashing its skull in when he came back down to earth. He raised his shotgun and blasted another Griffon's skull in half. Four Griffons, three shells left. The Grimm took off back into the air and began circling around the Slayer as he raised his shotgun up at them but looking straight ahead at the Beowolves surrounding him.

Ruby outwardly panicked when she saw all those Grimm that surrounded William. She raised Crescent Rose and fired a shot at the wings of one of the Griffons, knocking it out of the air. She managed to notice a Boarbatusk growling at her and right before charging her, Ruby dove out of the way, bowling over several Beowolves as it went for William. Seizing an opportunity William leapt up and landed on the Griffon Ruby shot as it fell, bringing both his and the Grimm's weight on top of the Boarbatusk, while the momentum of the boar-like Grimm's spin teared the Griffon apart, sending the pieces and William flying right back up towards Griffons. Three Griffons, three shells. The flying Grimm certainly weren't expecting the Slayer as he sailed up their way, discharging the spent shell from his shotgun before pulling the trigger and managing to hit all three of them in the chest. William let go of his now empty shotgun and drew his chainsaw, ready to carve up the Beowolves. The Griffons crashed onto the cobblestone, the two of them were dead on impact while the final one writhed about in pain with a hole through its torso.

The Slayer promptly finished it off with a boot to the head, smearing its skull all over the ground. Surrounded by dead Grimm he calmly walked over and collected his shotgun, giving it a one over to check for any damage before magnetizing it back on his armor. He glanced over at Ruby, and saw the girl surrounded by her own small field of dead Grimm, panting as she leaned on the rifle form of Crescent Rose to keep herself from collapsing.

"…" again, William thought that if it weren't for her Silver Eyes Ruby would look out of place standing in the middle of a slaughter – red dress, innocent face and all. Ruby's eyes lit up and quickly raised Crescent Rose, firing away at the flock of Nevermore that thought the two of them were winded, blasting them out of the sky as if she was shooting ducks.

Ruby called out loudly enough for it to echo around the seemingly empty town as the last Nevermore hit the pavement, "OK! the Grimm are all dead, you can all come out now!" Silence followed, a worried crease spread over her face. "Um…hello? Hellloooooooo…anyone here?" She swallowed nervously, and looked to William. "Do you think-?" she saw him staring up at the towers belonging to the Two Brothers Cathedral in the town center. The Slayer looked over at her and nudged his head towards it, indicating for her to follow him as he drew his pistol, with both hands gripping it tightly.

(RWBY)

 **(Cathedral of the Veneration of the Two Brothers, Marysville)**

The large doors leading into the narthex of the Two Brothers Cathedral were carved out of the finest wood in Vale nearly eighty years ago - around the same time the Great War between Vale and Vacuo had ended. The intricate patterns, stars and swirls surrounding the silhouettes of the Two Brothers in question had taken the effort of an entire family of woodcarvers to perfect and, to this day, it remained their finest work.

Luckily no member of that family was around to see William kick the doors in and nearly knocking them off their hinges, splintering the wood as light flooded the now illuminated narthex.

"Aww…I liked those doors." Ruby bemoaned William's less-then-tender treatment of art. She looked over her shoulder at the ruined gardens that were making up the façade of the cathedral.

"That must have been a lovely garden at one point too..." William hissed over his shoulder at her and raised a hand. Ruby gasped, nodded and kept Crescent Rose close. Ruby blinked as she stared at the back of the Slayer's head curiously.

 _'He's…really quiet of a sudden.'_ She glanced around her surrounding wearily, _'Guess that means something bad is waiting for us.'_ She felt her trigger finger figuratively itch, _'No problem.'_

Suddenly the sound of a quiet sob drew their attention towards the corner of the room. "Blake," Ruby nearly cried out but kept her voice leveled, seeing the bow-tied girl sitting on the floor against the wall, eyes bulging out as she sat there in shock. Blake flinched when Ruby touched her on the shoulder and looked away from Ruby's silver eyes. "What happened?" Ruby asked. "Did you find that man's little girls?"

"…Fiona and Viola?" Blake muttered. "I…I couldn't get a-" She looked past Ruby at the door leading into the nave, or where the congregation would gather in times of mass. "Don't go in there."

William stared down at the distraught girl before turning towards the doors leading into the nave and pushing them open. Ruby gave Blake's hand a reassuring squeeze before extending Crescent Rose into its scythe configuration, ready for anything that could be waiting for them.

"…" William noticed the hole in the ceiling where it would appear a Nevermore had attempted to get in. He looked down to the back of the heads of a possibly a hundred people, perhaps half of Marysville's population, sitting in the rows and rows of seats facing the cathedral's sanctuary – and a whimpering Beowolf with its belly slit and its arms and legs nailed by is paws upside down to the wall above the alter, with ether seeping out of the wounds as it lingered between life and death.

Or fading away, to be more precise.

"…oh...my…" Ruby squeaked, suddenly going pale at the sight.

Funny - when people mention the stench of death, it was probably that the bodies tendency to lose control of their bowel motions. It was the smell that gave away that there were corpses upon corpses sitting in the rows. Both Human and Faunus.

William's breath hitched for a second when he realized that there were little ones sitting among the congregation. He paused when he heard a sob, and turned to see Ruby holding Crescent Rose to herself as if it were a security blanket, stepping back as tears welled in her eyes.

"William…" Ruby said quietly, the Slayer turning to her. "I-I think they're all dead…"

"…" William turned back towards the backrow, checking the first closest body. It was a young man, well dressed in a suit, sitting alone with his head bowed, blood dripping down his neck and onto the ground. Lifting the head up he could see that his throat was slit. Looking down at the ground he saw the knife. He noticed about a dozen other knives lying about.

Close to a hundred dead townspeople, all of them slitting their throats before an upside-down half-dead Grimm. It was sacrilege at its finest.

 ** _++It would appear to have been a ritualistic mass suicide,++_** VEGA all but spelled it out loud for both William and Ruby. William looked up at the crucified Beowolf and the way it stared down at him and Ruby; one could see the agony in its eyes as it silently begged for death. ** _++Notice the way the Beowolf has been arranged to function as an idol, a twisted parody of a center of worship.++_**

"Y-you think?" Ruby stuttered. "I-I think I'm gonna-"

"No," William said, giving Ruby a fright from the harshness of the first word he had spoken in a couple of hours. He spun around and grabbed her by the arm, the red-colored Reaper against staring at her own reflection in the Slayer's visor as he peered in close. "Suck it up, Huntress." William commanded her.

 ** _++The children we are looking for are not among the dead here. There is still a possibility of finding them alive.++_** VEGA stated. **_++Currently assessing surroundings…++_**

Tears were still welling in her eyes, but Ruby nodded and looked as determined as she could, seeing herself frown. William let go of her arm, satisfied. William moved his head back when Ruby suddenly aimed Crescent Rose up at the Grimm-Idol and blew its head clean off the rest of its body where it landed on the alter beneath it, the body finally fading away.

"The girls aren't here," Ruby and William turned to see Blake approach them, seemingly no longer in shock and now disregarding the corpses on either side of her as she walked towards them. "They're still alive, I know it."

 ** _++External sensors detect an active Argent energy signature directly beneath the nave,++_** VEGA reported, William quickly drawing his assault rifle at the mention of that damned Hell energy. **_++I believe there may be another level underneath the cathedral, possibly catacombs. Proposal: Investigate.++_**

Ruby blinked, "Argent energy? What's that?"

"…" William didn't answer that. Instead he addressed Blake, "Plan to ditch us again?"

Blake shook her head, drawing Gambol Shroud in its blade form. She looked surprised when the marble floor they were standing on started to rumble underneath their feet. Ruby gulped, "That wasn't an earthquake, huh?"

VEGA hurriedly reported **_++WARNING: Argent energy signature rising beneath us.++_**

Still not caring about the fact that there was an Artificial Intelligence within the Armored Huntsman's suit Blake cried, "What's that-AH!" Blake was then given a meaty shove backward by William, landing on her ass just as the spot she had been standing only suddenly exploded outward in a violent eruption of crimson Hell energy that sent Ruby flying towards the alter, her Aura shielding her as she smashed through it. William found himself falling into the pit below as the floor gave way, and a panicked Blake leaping to safety as the cathedral floor collapsed, creating a large hole in the center of the spacious nave where seating and corpse fell in.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby screamed. She picked herself up from the remains of the alter, dusting herself off. Seeing Blake on the far end of the hole that had just been formed in the middle of the room she waved at her, "Blake! What happened?!"

"Ruby!" Blake called back. "He fell down there."

"But-"

"BEHIND YOU!"

" **RAARRGGGHHLLLEEEEE!** "

Ruby screamed in fright when she felt something grab her by her skirt. She looked down to see one of the corpses of the townsfolk with its flesh melting off its body and its clothes being fused to whatever skin it has left snarling up at her as it had a hold on her clothes with one hand while the other was trying to reach for her leg.

Scared out of her mind she kicked the corpse outside the head hard enough for it to let go before falling over onto her back just inches away from the pit. The Possessed pulled itself towards her with its hands, Ruby frantically grabbing Crescent Rose, switching it to its mode and pulling the trigger just as it lunged for her, reducing its head to vapor while its body landed between Ruby's legs.

"W-what the hell are these things?!" Blake screamed in anger rather than fear. "What the hell's going on?!"

"I-I don't know!" Ruby cried right back. "W-William would know-!"

"Forget him! We're surrounded!"

"…"

"RUBY! GET UP…GET UP AND FIGHT!"

Her heart was hammering against her chest, sweat was rolling down her face and tears were again threatening to spill when she realized she had gotten more of the red stuff on her. More gunfire erupted which shook her out from her stupor and she turned to see Blake firing away at more shambling Possessed. Several dozen corpses remaining in the cathedral coming back to life, their skin fusing to their clothes as that hellish energy worked its dark magic on them and compelled them to shamble forward moaning with arms stretched as they converged on the two girls.

Blake drew her sheathe and struck the next Possessed to lunge at her across the head, caving her skull in far enough for the eyes to pop out. Two precision gunshots from a sniper-scythe killed two more Possessed that went for Blake, as Ruby provided more cover fire before quickly spinning Crescent Rose and slicing several more Possessed apart with the scythes. All the while tried hard to look stoic, the fact she wasn't fighting Grimm but freaking zombies, not unlike all those late-night horror films her dad had let her watch with her sister when she was younger, was enough to nearly make her collapse in a bloodied heap in shock.

The familiar sound of heavy gunfire could be heard coming from below in the pit, letting them both know that William was still alive and fighting though relieved her. Two hands on her katana, Blake impaled another Possessed through the chest; pulling the blade and driving it through another's skull, slicing it in half. She shifted it back into a gun and shooting three more at point blank range. Feeling another grab her by the arm, she quickly phased away, leaving a shadow clone to receive a prompt gnawing to the neck as she quickly reloaded and blew out what was left of the Possessed's brains. She glanced down at the pit where William fell, the sound of bullets long faded and replaced by the roars of his chainsaw.

He had pushed her of the way out of that strange energy that brought the dead back to life. No way she's leaving that debt unpaid. "COME ON!" Blake called out at Ruby as she leapt down into the pit.

"BLAKE?!" Ruby was surprised to see her leap into the pit. She gasped when she remembered William was down there. "WILLIAM!" Crescent Rose in hand she took the plunge. "HANG ON, WILLIAM!"

(RWBY)

 **(Catacombs)**

The fall into the catacombs underneath the cathedral didn't hinder William one bit, the impact compensators built into his suit took care of whatever discomfort he would have felt as he landed on both feet, the force of impact still putting him down on one knee. It was being buried beneath much of the cathedral's floor that managed to slow him down. Crawling out from underneath that the rubble he was instantly sat upon by Possessed. Their snarling, bony faces, and outstretched arms as they shambled toward him. He grabbed the face of Possessed that lunged at him, it was like crushing a coconut. A blood and brain filled coconut.

Pulling himself out of the rubble he charged and bowled over another Possessed, sending them both falling to the ground, and he splattered that one's head all over when he slammed his forehead into it. Grabbing his heavy assault rifle, he rolled over onto his back and the scope lining up with his visor as he began the slaughter. He held the trigger down until he finally ran out of lead.

Then out came the chainsaw, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he hacked more Possessed to pieces. Hacking, slashing, ripping, and tearing - arms, legs, heads, whole torsos flying everywhere. Amidst pillars, stone, gore, and ammunition casings up past his feet in gore and the smell of decomposing, burning flesh and gunpowder - he was home.

Not in Hell, but on Argent D'Nur, and the Silvered Citadel of Empyrean – sanctuary of the Night Sentinels. He had been waist deep in carnage long before Hell came calling.

This was a sacred ground, this was his home. He was the Night Sentinels Praetor! And he howled his vengeance on their sin. Black and Red came, using strange weapons, as they began to kill the sinful Possessed. Allies, his mind sang, but they were not of Empyrean, and that meant that they are sinners. His body sang for their destruction, but he stopped himself when he saw that young girl in red had silver eyes.

His brain essentially rebooted and he realized he wasn't on Argent D'Nur. He was on Remnant. For the first time in an eternity he was trying to save lives, not just kill them. And he flinched violently when Ruby tapped him on the shoulder and he brought his chainsaw just below her chin, causing her to step back with a look of surprise on her face as she brought her hands up.

"Hey, easy…easssyyyyy…" Ruby cried. "We thought you needed a hand."

"…" William lowered his chainsaw. He looked past Ruby at Blake and indicated the burning torches that illuminated the crypt leading down a corridor. "Follow the lights," he said. Blake nodded and took off down the corridor. William's energy pistol charged itself up as he drew it and turned to Ruby. "Come on."

They ran after Blake, following the torches through the catacombs, following the torches through the dark.

"How do you know if they're here?" Ruby hurriedly demanded.

William mulled on it. "They always go for the churches."

"Who are they?!" Ruby exclaimed, nearly breathless. "What are these things? Are we fighting zombies, demons, zombie demons or-?"

"Stop talking," Ruby clamped her mouth shut with a small 'eep' when William ordered her as they approached the doors leading into, what he guessed was, another nave. Blake tried pushing it open. She turned to see William and Ruby approaching her and stepped out of the way for William to run up to the doors, jump and plant both feet into it, smashing both doors inwards and sending them toppling inward into the underground chapel. "…"

Ruby looked like a wide-eyed ghost in a red cloak. At first, she thought she was looking at a chamber covered in a red, chunky sludge, then she noticed the still juicy looking skeletons jutting out of said sludge. "Oh…my…"

Blake covered her mouth, but it was for naught as she fell on her knees and began retching.

William, on the other hand, just stood in the doorway, stoic at the sight of a room smeared in a bloody, veiny, gory paste that traveled from the floors and up the walls and pillars. The near-skeletal remains of a hundred cultists, the rest of the townsfolk probably, packed into the chapel as they were scattered all over a barely-formed Gore Nest in the center of the chapel, with horrific agony and twisted ecstasy permeating their faces. More bad memories of D'Nur came back to William before he suppressed them and turned towards his companions.

Making sure her rations were kept down Blake coughed some more before turning her head and struggled to talk straight, "What the…how…what is-?"

"William…?" Ruby croaked out she started shivering, her feet inching away from the gore as William stepped forward onto it, the bones crunching underneath his boots and the meat sticking to the soles of his boots as he walked up to one of the skeletons still wearing tatters of a priestly robe, a tome in his half-fleshly hands. Tearing it out of the dead priest's hands he skimmed through the pages until he came across bloody smudge halfway through the final passage of demonic lettering, indicating the cult hierophant was killed midway through reciting the passage. Him and everyone else he was currently stepping on.

 _'Dumb asshole must have misread a syllable.'_ he thought. _'Otherwise we'd have a proper Gore Nest spewing hellspawn right about now.'_ He glanced at the hierophant remains, his foot inches away from the corpse's skull. If it weren't for his helmet Ruby and Blake would have seen an absolute look of contempt on the Slayers face as he crushed the skull underneath his foot as casually as stepping on a bug, with the brains splattering beneath, causing them both to look at him and his causal disregard for the carnage before them. He glanced down at the tome in his hand. He opened it and started tearing pages out, making sure to tears them to pieces and making double sure the writing wouldn't be legible.

Blake managed to stave off shock long enough to see the two alters at the far end of the chapel side by side and the two rabbit Faunus girls chained by the wrists and feet on them. "FIONA! VIOLA!" she screamed as she ran towards them, blood splattering up her legs as she crossed over the paste that used to the entire townsfolk. "OH NO…NO NO NO!"

"Blake!" Ruby followed her. William was close behind them, dropping the now shredded tome on the ground. Blake came close to breaking down when she saw that the older girl Viola had her throat torn open, eye bugged and blood trickling down the stone alter and onto the floor and all over her plain grey dress. Ruby looked no better either, right up until William wordlessly stepped up to the unharmed younger girl and tore the chains off from the alter, Fiona stirring in his arms as lifted her up and he held her gently against him.

"She's alive," Ruby cried as she felt tears and a smile of relief spread all on her face up as she saw the girl stir from unconsciousness. She yelped when she shoved aside by Blake. "Wha-?!"

"Is she alright?!" Blake exclaimed, her hands on the little rabbit girl's shoulder, silently demanding that William relinquish hold of her.

"B-Blake?" Fiona recognized her voice as she mumbled, feeling herself being held by someone softer. She opened her eyes, "Wha-?"

"Don't look. Keep your eyes shut," Blake said, noting that gore pit they were standing in. Glancing up at William, she tensed a bit when she saw the crack in the visor she inflicted on him earlier as stared back. "I'm getting you out of here-"

The already tense atmosphere just became that much worse when suddenly the sounds of someone speaking in a demonic tongue and the sound of a girl screaming nearly caused Blake to jump and Fiona to whimper and cover her eyes. William tuned his head suddenly to see Ruby holding something that resembled a smartphone with a holographic screen – a Scroll – and she was watching something on it. Something horrible. Judging from the blood on the device's frame Ruby had pried it out of the hands of one of the dead townsfolk.

Ruby tore her eyes of the screen to see William approach her, extending his hand. She silently gave the scroll to him and they watched from the point of view of the cultist who recorded the horror of an underground chapel packed with Marysville's townsfolk, who silently watching the Hierophant reciting from the tome facing a Gore Nest slowly rising out of the corpses of what he guessed were sacrificial victims. The camera panned towards the alters to see one of the cultists crouching over Viola, both girls screaming but the elder sister's cries cut short as the cultist slit her throat with a dagger. Ruby looked away, eyes settling on Fiona and how Blake held her and how she glared straight at her and William.

Taking the hint Ruby reached for the scroll and turned the volume down. But not before hearing the Hierophant reciting another passage from the tome, afterwards the Gore Nest exploded in a miasma of flesh and Argent energy that washed over those gathered. Volume set to mute William and Ruby watched as the flesh off the townsfolk slowly and painfully melted off their bodies and into the sludge they were standing on, mouths wide open as they silently screamed and the same time exalting the demon they had just summoned.

Ruby gasped at the sight of a floating slim, light blue monster that lacked visible eyes with a circular bone structure that covered the back of its head. Despite the regal looking demon wearing an opulent robe that appeared to be made of human flesh dyed in purple William recognized the demon as a Summoner, and something – and _someone_ – familiar.

Ruby noticed William's hand were visibly shaking as he held the scroll. "William?" she gently inquired as she pointed at the screen. "Who, or what, is that supposed to-?" she spun on her heel sharply as she recoiled as the screen cracked before sparks flew as he crushed the scroll in his hands, letting the now wrecked piece of gadgetry fall to the ground.

"Deag Grav," William hissed angrily. The town of Marysville summoned the Cardinal of Hell, a Prince of Doom, the Keeper of the Blood Temple. He, who tainted the Wraiths and merged Argent D'Nur with Hell. Dooming the D'Nur civilization to a shambling, undead ruin. Drawing his pistol, he scanned the room, Ruby hearing his loud breathing beneath his helmet like he was blowing steam, concluding that he sounded that angry.

Ruby was just about to inquire further about this Deag Grav when suddenly William started shooting at the ground nearly Ruby's feet, energized piercing through liquid bone, marrow and blood as Ruby yelped and leapt out of the way.

"Hey what's the big de-?!" Ruby cried, a massive eruption of blood and crimson energy cutting her off as whatever was hiding underneath, or more accurately within, the fleshy sludge emerged surrounded in Argent energy. Ruby felt some of it hit her, and her eyes bulged out when she felt the most excruciating agony in her entire life as she lost control of herself and collapsed onto the bloody ground and writhed about screaming in pain.

"AHHHHHH! W-WHAT IS THIS?!" she wrapped her arms around herself. "IT BURNS!"

And Blake felt no better, feeling like her soul was on fire but was good at being tight-lipped, instead holding Fiona tightly to her as if she were a security blanket. William's hands cracked as he balled them into fists, his good old demon-crushing bludgeons…

 ** _ULTRAVIOLENCE_**  
 ** _(RUST, DUST AND GUTS)_**  
 ** _\- DOOM OST, MICK GORDON_**

"RUBY!" Blake fumbled with Gambol Shroud in her free hand as the Slayer threw himself at Deag Grav in a heartbeat, swinging his right fist at the Summoner's eyeless face. Grav phased away, leaving an afterimage that burst into Hell energy as William's fist went through it and taking a chunk out of the pillar behind him.

Grav shrieked at an inhuman volume as he materialized behind the Slayer, an Argent energy Hell Sword materialized in his right hand and thrusting it at William's back. The Slayer quickly spun out of the way as the blade skimmed across his armored back, countering with his chainsaw. Grav snarled and they crossed blades, William proving to be stronger as he easily pushed Grav down into the ground, the Summoner shrieking again and unleashing another burst of Argent energy that knocked William off his feet and flat on his back.

Grav then appeared above William with both hands now on his energy blade with intent to impale the Doom Slayer through his cursed hell-forged armor and into his abominable heart. He hissed in pain when he felt several bullets hit him the back, turning his attention towards that cat-eyed young woman with right arm around that filthy, sacrificial half-breed as she fired her handgun with her free hand.

One horrifying, pained scream drew Grav's attention as a red-faced, pained Ruby swung Crescent Rose at him with both hands, all fury and none of her normal grace, hard enough to cause Grav's energy sword to fizzle out he was caught by surprise by the young Reaper. She swung again, impaling the demon through the palm of his right hand when he instinctively raised it. She smirked painfully but the smile quickly disappeared when Grav swung his arm backwards and sent her flying straight at Blake, knocking the two of them down Blake who held Fiona tightly against herself, curling her body around her to shield her from the impact of the fall.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby screamed, drawing his sudden attention. "…HURTS…!"

The Slayer wordlessly drew his energy pistol and fired at Grav as he pulled Crescent Rose's blade from his hand and dropped the scythe. The Slayer hit him in the chest and shoulder before the Summoner swatted the gun out of his hand and raised his arms, unleashing more Argent energy that left the sludge moving beneath him, right before skeletal arms emerged out of the sludge as the corpses became possessed - and were crawling all over William. The snarling corpses swarmed William and pinned him down to the ground, their near skeletal hands scratching away at his armor.

One Possessed grabbed his helmet with both hands and opened his jaws and wide as it could mage with intent to bite his throat out. William headbutted the Possessed hard enough for its skull to explode, spraying teeth and brain matter all over the place. He gritted his teeth with exertion as he picked himself back up with all his might with Possessed hanging onto him, his view unobstructed enough to see Grav phase out and leave an Argent trail behind him as he flew out of the Chapel and leaving him, Ruby, Blake and Fiona for the skeletal Possessed that were rising from the miasma of fleshly sludge and bone.

"…" William felt the need to vent centuries worth of anger and frustration of coming face to face with the demon that brought on Argen D'Nur's destruction, and letting him get away as fast as he reappeared in thousands of years. His rage seethed beneath his skin. He gritted his teeth and suppressed that desire to scream in anger, however, and settled for wrenching his arm free of a Possessed, tearing its own arm off in the process and proceeding to smack another's head off with it. Gunshots rang out and the remaining Possessed on him had their heads blown off and chests blown out.

William looked up to see Ruby and Blake with Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud in their gun forms smoking and pointing his way, Fiona huddling behind their legs as the two girls stood protectively in front of her. "Turn around and cover your ears." Blake told her and the little rabbit Faunus complied as she and Ruby shifted their weapons into their bladed forms and threw themselves at the undead as William recovered and his revved his chainsaw menacingly and Possessed half-skeletons shambling his way. They were then cut down from behind by Ruby and Blake. The three of them then formed a protective shield around Fiona, with weapons pointed at the Possessed still rising from the fleshly ground.

"Guess this isn't the time to ask what just happened, huh?" Blake asked as more of the shambling dead hobbled their way.

"No." Ruby both replied as the Slayer cracked his knuckles.

(RWBY)

 **(Ground Level, Sanctuary)**

Ten minutes later the Slayer kicked open the door at the end of the winding staircase leading up from the catacombs back to the sanctuary on ground level covered helmet to boot in gore, chainsaw in hand as he wiped some of the flesh off his helmet and tossed it to the sight. Ruby and Blake followed close behind, both now covered completely in blood and visibly shaking in their shoes, Fiona whimpering as she held onto Blake much more tightly, the three of them clearly traumatized. They paused when they heard moaning from behind them that was quickly silenced when William fired his pistol back down the steps, killing the last Possessed that somehow survived the carnage.

Now no longer in danger and having just rescued the daughter of her friend. Blake had to unload, "Ok…now, what just happened?!" Blake exclaimed angrily. She looked at herself, visibly sickened with being covered in viscera "What's going on?! W-what were those things?" She turned her glare at William. "Again, where'd you get that chainsaw?"

William would have answered if his attention wasn't on Ruby and how she staggered aimlessly forward, letting Crescent Rose drop on the ground. "Ruby?" Reaching for her Blake asked, her voice now laced with concern as all anger faded, "Are you-?"

"BWAARKKKK!"

Ruby threw up again, falling to her knee and instinctively stretching her hands out on the ground to keep herself from collapsing as a combination of fear, stress, guilt, and self-loathing hit her harder than the hellish energy that felt like it ignited her Aura. Feeling Blake's comforting hand on her back she broke down into sobs, hands moving her to her face as she wailed into them.

 _'Yang…Dad…'_ Ruby mentally wished that they could be here right now. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry," images of the Possessed townsfolk she had murd- _killed_ flashed through her mind as she apologized repeatedly to each one, not realizing that Blake had decided to stop acting aloof and embrace the poor girl, burying her face in her chest as she continued to sob. "I…thought I was on fire…I didn't know how to…to…"

Blake noticed that William was staring at the two of them, like if he was at a loss. He saw the pleading in her eyes so he approached towards them. "Ruby," he put his hand awkwardly on her left shoulder she calmed down a bit when she heard that his voice had lost some of it's rough edge, now sounding like he was trying to be comforting. "It's…ok…?" Blake could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"It's not!" Ruby suddenly wailed, now upset that he was trying to brush her killing those people alive. "It's not I…I…I…I just killed people…" she hiccupped. She gritted her teeth when her head started to hurt and she subconsciously gripped both sides of it, her eyes shut as if trying to block out the world around her. "Well…they weren't really people, not anymore, but…but…" she babbled on. "I-I feel…is…is this normal-?"

Ruby found herself staring at her own reflection in William's visor as he gently turned her around to face him. "Inhale," he commanded her. Ruby did so, breathing in deeply. "Count to four," he followed up. Ruby held her breathe for four second. "Exhale," he added. Ruby breathed out. "Count to four. Inhale. Count to four. Exhale." Ruby repeated the exercise, feeling herself calm down at bit as she looked at her knees. Looking up at William she couldn't keep a small sad smile off her face.

"You feel bad?" William asked. Ruby nodded.

"Guess that means you're still human, Ruby," Blake added, smiling in spite of her blood-splattered self. "Be thankful for that."

Ruby's eyes lit up. She teared up a bit more before wiping them away, "T-thank you."

"…" William held their gaze. He nodded He looked over at Blake, seeing her cradle Fiona in her arms, the little girl still quietly sobbing into her neck. "Time to go?" Blake nodded.

They exited the cathedral to be met by the sound of a bullhead touching down outside and a young woman with a minigun trained on them. She stepped out of the cabin, dropping down onto the ground before the aircraft had the chance to land. She was flanked by a guy even bigger than William, a blind man with blades attached to his arms and another rabbit Faunus, who looked like she was taken back at the bloodied sight of Ruby and William. Ruby and William. To both their surprise Blake and Fiona had disappeared out of sight.

"Hey, what-?" Ruby voiced her surprised at Blake's sudden departure. "Blake? Fiona?"

Velvet glimpsed at the still fading Grimm corpses littering the grounds, "Hey, did you do all this?" William's faceless visage and his silence was quick to unsettle her. "Coco?" she turned to her team leader and realized the beret-wearing fashionista appeared hostile right of the bat.

"Hey soldier - this was a cathedral you just desecrated," Coco leveled her minigun at the Slayer with a sneer. "Plus, all that dead Grimm, the people that're supposed to be living here are nowhere to be found and one demolished house of prayer – not to mention someone kicked in those really nice looking wooden doors. Care to enlighten us?"

"…" William cracked his knuckles and stepped forward, only for Ruby to grasp him by the arm. He turned to her suddenly, looking ready to push her away. It took Ruby silently pleading with him with those wide silver eyes of hers for him to reluctantly stand down. Still looking at her he quietly deferred to the young Reaper. Ruby noticed and swallowed lightly as she turned toward Team CFVY.

"Um…" Ruby smiled nervously. "Were you guys on your way to Vale? We could really use a ride..."

And Ruby was all chippers again, William observed. And for him, it was somewhat... disturbing.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Didn't plan on this chapter being this long, but…meh…the more undead-demon slaughter the better. ^_^ Originally, I was going to introduce each member of Team RWBY over four consecutive chapters but I decided I wanted to develop William and Ruby's characters some more in this chapter – how the two of them compare and contrast with one another is one of the key themes of this story. Anyway, Vale's up next and Yang will be introduced, followed by Weiss._

 _At first I thought it'd be too soon for Ruby to break down like this but really if she did find herself hacking up zombies and getting blasted by Hell energy she wouldn't take it well in canon either. As for Blake, I imagine seeing the red stuff when it's still warm wouldn't affect her too much, only when there's a cathedral full of dead people sitting down with their throats slit she'd definitely go into shock. Really, I bet none of RWBY's cast under 18 has even seen blood (again with the sole possible exception of Blake), and DOOM is just swimming in it._

 _I've been wondering how a person's Aura would react to being exposed Argent/Hell energy. I can't decide whether it would protect someone from being Possessed like a shield or since their Aura are a manifestation of their souls, actually make them more vulnerable to possession or having their souls torn out of their body. But I would imagine their Aura would be very sensitive to Argent energy, and therefore feel like their souls would be set alight if they came into contact with the pure stuff. What do you think?_


	6. The New World IV: Hot Ember

**v.2 Beta: ErenJaeger17, Sir Attlich**

* * *

Yang Xiao Long had no idea where all these Grimm came from.

And quite frankly - she didn't care, her grin threatened to split her face in half as she sent Beowolves flying in all directions with her Dual Ranged Shot-Gauntlets Ember Celica – safe to say that the long blonde-haired, lilac-eyed and very well-proportionated brawler was having the time of her life. Her smile widened just a bit as she punched through a Beowolf's chest mid-leap, the explosive shell discharge blasting it in half. She only stopped smiling when she heard screams that came from behind her, seeing an old couple in an alley cornered by an Ursa.

"Why you!" Yang snarled as she charged straight ahead towards it, bowling over several more Grimm in her path and unleashing a devastating right hook that sent the Ursa spinning in the air and smashing through the windows of the store from across the road, with it's head rotating hundred and eighty degrees. Standing between the old couple and the Grimm she quickly produced and lifted a pair of ammunition belts and swinged her gauntlets into them mid-air, Ember Celica giving off two clicks as they reloaded and Yang went right back into sending the Grimm flying. "Glad I was here, huh?"

"T-thank you, young miss?" the old man's smile was shaky but grateful nonetheless. "If you hadn't…"

More Grimm approached them and Yang quickly ushered the old couple away while keeping the Grimm distracted long enough for them to get to safety - off the street and through the nearest door. The mechanics within Ember Celica clicked as she unleashed a barrage of high explosive shots that wiped out every Grimm and nearly the entire street.

And out through the flames a Beowolf Alpha suddenly lunged at her. She dove out of the way, levelling an uppercut to it as she spun around, but only managed to knock it some feet away as Ember Celica as ran out of ammunition. "Crap," Yang muttered. The Alpha snarled and lunged for her.

Suddenly a colossal weight dropped from the sky and onto the neck of the Beowolf Alpha, the force of the impact was strong enough to knock Yang over, bringing up dust and bits of asphalt as the road cracked. Yang coughed as waved the dust away from her eyes to see what looked like - the secret boss from Kung Fu Slayer Ultimate Death Battle II standing right on top of the Alpha's neck. Suddenly she registered the bullhead hovering above them.

"Hey sis!" she saw Ruby wave and call out to her from the cabin with a smile. "I missed you!"

"Wha...Ruby?" Yang blinked in confusion, before looking down to see the Slayer lift his boot up and bring it down on the Beowolf's neck, crushing it to a literal paste and ground his heel hard enough to separate the head from the rest of the body. He punched the head into the face of a leaping Beowolf, knocking it out of the sky before winding his left fist back and landing his fist in the forehead that resulted in knocking it down on its rear, producing the all too familiar sound of cracking of bone, the dent in the Beowolf's skull quite visible and graphic. He stood in between her and the Grimm, his stance protective of the blonde brawler.

"Yang, right?" the Slayer asked over his shoulder.

Yang looked at him stupefied, right before she sized him up, grinned eagerly and reloaded Ember Celica as she leapt back up to her feet, ready to face the horde of Grimm charging them.

"Right."

(RWBY)

 **The New World IV:**  
 **Hot Ember Steel Uppercut**

 _She shines brighter than a thousand suns, her heat is enough to bring the mightiest of dragons down and the power behind her fists will give even the shadow lords pause. She will join your crusade without question, for she lives only for the conflict your journey shall surely bring._  
 _ **\- Corrax Entry 6:21**_

(RWBY)

 **(Five minutes earlier…)**

 **(En-route to Vale)**

"You sure you don't want to take that helmet off? I can tell the crack on the visor is definitely annoying you."

"…"

"Suit yourself, big boy." Coco smirked, "By the way, nice guns."

"…"

This is a bit awkward, Coco thought to herself. On one side of the bullhead, the members of team CFVY were completely clean, barely showing any signs of combat, while the two guests who were sitting across them were covered from head to toe in blood and gore. For a second back in Marysville, she thought that she and her team would have to fight against the bloodstained, chainsaw-wielding, seriously intimidating mute in some sort of power armor. Never-mind the fact he was only five inches shorter than Yatsuhashi, the battle would've been painful if Little Red hadn't asked if they could catch a ride to Vale.

So here they were on their way back to Beacon Academy, with Ruby Rose who finished telling Team CFVY about herself and the mute – William – and them killing all the Grimm in the town and descending into the catacombs beneath the cathedral to rescue a little girl from zombies and a demon sorcerer.

Zombies and a demon sorcerer. Normally she would've said something like: 'Nice joke there.', but then again, the Grimm and all manner of unnatural shi...er, stuff exists on Remnant, meaning that anything's possible. Ozpin probably could have a better idea on how to deal with them. _'Hopefully it'll involve a couple of reinforced cells and plenty of Knights on standby.'_ Coco thought.

"So, you believe our story, right?" Ruby asked, sounding hopeful.

Coco pursed her lips, "Are you really sure they were zombies?"

Ruby looked alarmed at what Coco was implying. William didn't miss it. "Possessed," he spoke up, catching everyone off-guard by the way he abruptly broke his silence. "They were Possessed."

"Hey, it speaks!" Coco stated, drawing a confused look from Ruby.

"With what were they...possessed?" Velvet asked.

"Demons." William replied, "From Hell."

"OK now THAT is pushing the realms of believability," Coco growled. "Hell…as in the place where bad folks go when they die?"

"No," William said. "That kind of Hell doesn't exist."

Coco crossed her arms, "Really? What other kind is there?"

"The _**real**_ kind."

"That's…vague," Coco said. "Especially coming from the guy in bloodstained power armor-"

"Something was drawing way too many Grimm to Marysville, Coco," Velvet skeptically pointed out.

"And it had to have been an inhumane amount of negative emotion," Yatsuhashi added. He turned to William, "You are no Huntsman from Vale, are you?"

"No."

"Anywhere from Remnant?"

"…nope."

Coco blinked, "Where are we going with this?"

"William's not from Remnant," Ruby pointed out quietly.

Slowly becoming agitated Velvet queries, "Wait, wait, wait... are you're trying to tell us that you're an alien?"

Realizing he wasn't going to get past this anytime soon William shrugged, "Whatever you-" He cut himself as he suddenly lunged for the ammunition belt loaded with Fire Dust beside Coco and fed it into his heavy assault rifle before anyone could react. They were soon blocking their ears and shrieking in pain as William opened fired outside the cabin, and nearly causing everybody's eardrum to explode.

"ARGHHH!" Ruby felt like she was digging her fingers right into her skull. "WILLIAM, WHAT-?!"

"FFFFUCKING HELL!" Coco screamed, feeling like her ears were going to start bleeding at any given second. "THERE'S THERE A REASON YOU'RE WASTING AMMO, RIGHT?!"

"We got aerial Grimm incoming, broadside!" the bullhead pilot exclaimed over the com. "Shit! I think we've just flown right in the middle of a whole damn flock! Whoever's firing out of the cabin - just keep doing what ya' doing!"

William was the first who had spotted the Nevermores intercepting the bullhead and wasn't about to wait idly. One hand held his assault rifle as he fired, while the other fed rounds into his gun. He perceived that the bullets were incendiary rounds – he decided that Fire Dust was his favorite type.

His smile tug on the edges of his face as the wings of the Nevermore burst alight, plummeting out of the sky. Ruby covered the other side of the bullhead with Crescent Rose. Coco quickly unpacked her minigun and immediately started shooting.

The flock dispersed as the Nevermores were dropping from the sky, and the bulkhead had a clear view of the city of Vale...and it seemed like the situation there wasn't any better by the looks of it.

Everyone on the bullhead, except William, felt a chill down their spines when they realized that the Grimm were attacking Vale.

They were actually ATTACKING Vale.

Screaming and gunfire were loud enough to be heard above the bullhead's engines as they passed over the city - Beowolves, Ursa and Boarbatusks were running rampant through the rapidly deserting streets. Civilians were fleeing towards the shelters as Huntsmen and the police held the Grimm off, while the Nevermores contested the sky against massive Atlesian airships and Vale's bullheads.

Velvet's eyes widened and she shook her head in denial, "No way."

"N-no this can't…this can't be…" Ruby stuttered, failing to comprehend the carnage below him.

"They finally grew balls big enough to come storming in Vale, eh?" Coco gritted her teeth. William stifled a chuckle.

 _ **++Incorrect. I am detecting faint Argent energy signatures in the air, most likely from the Summoner encountered earlier.++**_ William was the only one to hear VEGA as he spoke to him through his internal auditory systems. _**++It is possibly the Grimm were attracted to the trail left behind during its flight.++**_

"Bastard passed through here?" William asked as it surveyed Vale, trying to find something that would serve as a good landing pad. "Where's he headed?"

 _ **++Without access to a planetary mapping system that I can reliably download I am able to properly determine the demon's flight route.++**_ VEGA stated. _**++I recommend cooperating with authorities and gaining access to their resources. The presence of a cult similar to what was encountered in the UAC Mars facility can be considered disconcerting.++**_

"No shit," William grimaced. "That's how it always starts." He snorted at the thought of _'cooperating'_ with the _'authorities'_.

VEGA knew this, so he said: _**++We are currently not equipped to prevent another demonic invasion. We need to warn Remnant's military leadership to- ++**_

"Warn em' to stay outta my way," William said. _'And I'll lynch the next asshole who starts making Faustian pacts by their own goddamn intestines.'_

Everyone present could hear William talking to himself above the bullhead's engines and gunfire, "Um…who are you talking to?" Velvet inquired, further unnerved that the guy in bloodstained power armor was seemingly talking to himself. She looked timid all of sudden when the Slayer turned to her.

"Oh," Ruby sounded like she just remembered. "William's suit's got a-" And she was cut off William gestured to her to shut up by a hand motion across his neck. "Err…air-conditioning?" Ruby said, shrinking a bit from CFVY's incredulous stares.

"We saw that!" Coco pointed out.

 **"To all certified and 2nd year-in training Huntsmen and Huntresses within the city of Vale - you are ordered to hold your ground and await backup."** the radio ordered. **"Atlesian Marines under Specialist Schnee are preparing to launch their counterattack shortly."**

William bristled at the mention of that name. She was definitely going to be problem, again.

"Why is Atlas here in the first place?" Velvet questioned, right before glancing at William. When she thought he was looking right back at her she turned her head, rolling her eyes as if that would make her look less suspicious.

"Hey pilot, you heard Goodwitch," Coco called out to the cabin. "Drop us off right now."

 _'Goodwitch?'_ That name bemused William. _Good._ _Witch._

"Hang on, there's an old couple and some girl down below and there's Grimm moving in on em'!" the pilot cried. "Aren't ya' gonna help her?"

"What?!" Coco cried.

"Who?" Ruby added.

William stored his assault rifle. He could see a blonde young woman, with the finesse of a boxer, knocking Grimm off their feet in multiple directions away from an old couple she was protecting. Just knocking. No blood, no pieces of them scattering, no rip and tear, just sending them flying. He scowled and cracked his knuckles.

 _ **'RIP and TEAR!'**_ Time to show these people some real hand-to-hand combat.

"THAT'S MY BIG SISTER YANG!" Ruby was beside William in an instant, with Crescent Rose at the ready. "Ah…we need to get down there and help her ou- WILLIAM!"

As if on cue, the Slayer jumped out of the bullhead's cabin and plummeted straight down towards the street, using the Beowolf Alpha that was about to lunge at Yang as a landing pad. He put his foot down on the Beowolf's neck and decapitated it with his own heel for good measure, barely registering Ruby jovially calling out to her sister from the bullhead. Seeing more Grimm approach, he headbutted the nearest Beowolf, knocking it down.

Stepping between the blonde and the Grimm he asked her, "Yang, right?"

Yang grinned: "Right." She stopped smiling when she noticed the blood on him. "Hey, what's with the blood-?" William suddenly took off in the direction of the Grimm, throwing himself at the nearest Ursa as he swung a right hook, nailing it across the face hard enough for the whatever served it as bone in its neck, snapped as it crumpled to the ground in a heap. "HEY - KILLSTEAL!" Yang exclaimed, but was unable to notice a Beowolf that was above her. William fortunately, reacted quickly enough, and extended his arm in front of Yang. The Beowolf clamped its jaws on his arm and Yang saw its teeth broke against his armor.

Against his _armor_ , not his Aura.

Yang blinked in surprise. _'He doesn't have an Aura?!'_ She observed the way he fought and the force behind the punch that he threw at the Beowolf, which was somehow powerful enough to knock the Grimm down. _'No sign of any semblance behind those punches either.'_ , Yang thought, alarmed. _'What is this guy?'_

"HANG ON!" Ruby shouted at the two of them as she hurled herself off the bullhead, and with Crescent Rose's blade extended she sliced the nearby Grimm apart before she hit the ground. The bullhead touched down and Team CFVY stormed out, Coco's minigun sprayed gunfire above William and Yang's heads and shredded the Grimm before them to pieces.

Pretty soon all the Grimm in the vicinity were reduced to fading bits, most of them a courtesy of the Slayer. He cracked the discomfort out of his knuckles. Yang was about to approach William, when she noticed the sorry state Ruby was in. Her sister was covered in blood and her cloak looked like it had been set on fire and trodden on. Yang was immediately on her, checking for any signs of injury, babbling all the while. "Ruby what the hell happened to you?" She gripped the rim of Ruby's dressed and held it between them. "Whose blood is this?!"

"Don't worry, it's not mine," Ruby replied reassuringly. Forlornly she added, "It's…from other people."

"From other people? Again, what the hell?!" Yang's eyes flew open. "And your cloak looks like it caught fire and somebody stomped on it to put the flames out!" she looked closed to freaking out. "Something you want to tell me, sis?"

"A cabin exploded and my cape caught fire but William managed to tear it off and put it out," Ruby replied. Yang's pupils were suddenly glowing red when she looked over her shoulder at William.

"Where'd you find this guy?" Yang demanded. "No Aura and he's still able to tear Grimm in half with his bare hands!" She looked she had just realizing. "I mean - he just TORE a Grimm in half with his bare - well, _armored_ to be precise - hands! And-" She did a double take, "Wait, what cabin?"

"No no, you don't understand!" Ruby shook Yang and drew her attention back to her. She appeared desperate, "He's a friend, he's already saved me a couple of times already. He's…. on our side-"

"Alright, relax sis," Yang was smiling now and patting her shoulder. "I believe you."

"…really?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"I'm not accusing my own sister of lying if she says that the guy in power armor covered in weapons who jumps from a bullhead and stomps a Grimm to death AND takes a Beowolf's teeth to the arm for me saved her life."

"Ruby," William said as he approached Ruby and Yang. He did a double take between them, "Sisters, huh?"

"Yep," Yang grinned, wrapping an arm around Ruby's sister and holding her close enough so that their cheeks were touching. "Don't tell me you can't see the resemblance?"

"Yang…" Ruby groaned against her, embarrassed. "…please stop."

"…"

"Anyways," Yang let go of Ruby. "Wanna go ask Coco what's the plan?"

William's gaze lingered on Yang as she walked past him. Besides her boisterous attitude and appetite for destruction that could rival his own, he couldn't deny that Ruby's sister was quite an eye candy - long blonde hair, lilac purple eyes, curves and the nicest looking bust he has ever seen in all eternity. Yang appeared to notice, directing a flattering smirk his way, "Enjoying the view, big guy?"

"Eww…Yang!" Ruby whined. "Please don't."

"Hm?" William turned to her.

Yang grinned. "You're checking me out, I can tell."

Ruby scowled at the Slayer. Seeing that Yang was enjoying her reaction, Ruby's face was as red as her dress, she was that embarrassed "…feh," William grunted and checked his assault rifle ammunition count, discharging a spent bullet casing from the firing chamber. "Kinda hard not to." he replied with seeming disinterest.

Yang's smirk faded. That would have been the most unflattering compliment she had ever heard from anyone ever. "Uh…thanks?"

Ruby guffawed. Coco belted out a laugh as she approached them, "Burn! Now…" she looked serious. "We should probably get back on the bullhead and-"

"SHIIIIITTTT!" the bullhead pilot was suddenly diving out of the cabin right before a smashed car fell from the sky and landed right onto the cockpit. He pointed in the distance up the road and shouted: "BERINGEL!"

"What?!" Velvet exclaimed as she turned towards where the pilot was pointed. "Oh…my."

"Well, shit," Yang sighed. "That's a Beringel."

William noted how much the Beringel resembled a gorilla – albeit a bony-looking, black-skinned, one-eyed gorilla whose sole glowing red eye was staring hatefully right at them as it descended down a building. It beat its chest and unleashed a mighty roar at them. It tore out a chunk out of the building and flinged at a random direction. Taking this as a challenge Yang charged forward and launched a straight jab upward that smashed the structure wall to pieces.

"YANG, LOOK OUT!"

The Beringel charged at her through the dust. Yang crossed her arms and braced for impact, only for William to wrap his arm around her waist and both of them spun out of the Beringel's way, with the Grimm charging right past them. His free hand held his heavy assault rifle and, still holding Yang tightly to himself, held the trigger down and emptied the belt feeding Fire Dust ammunition into the Grimm's back and setting it alight. Yang barely had time to register what just happened when she felt the Slayer release his hold on her and revving up his chainsaw, swinging it at the Beringel's back, sparks flying off its skin as the chainsaw wasn't about to pierce through. The Beringel roared and backhanded the Slayer in the chest, sending him flying through the wall of the nearest building.

Yang grounded her teeth. He didn't have an Aura, and going through a wall with that kind of force behind him would kill him, or seriously injure him at best. "WHY YOU…!" she shouted before unleashing several straight jabs to the Beringel's face and torso, ducking underneath the Beringel's left hook before countering with an uppercut underneath it's chin, a bony crack being heard as it staggered backward and met Yatsuhashi's swings of his greatsword multiple times. Shrugging off the blows it struck Yatsuhashi's across the face, sending him spiraling into Velvet as she ran toward him.

"YATSU-OOOFF!"

The two slammed into each other, as Ruby and Fox raced towards the Grimm. Their blows collided with equal fervor, the two of them dodging and weaving around it's fists and chipping away its armor. The Beringel roared in anger and brought its fists down on the ground, the shock wave sending both Huntsmen flying. The Grimm grabbed Fox by his legs and hurled him at Coco, sending both of them smacking into the bullhead wreckage. Flying towards a wall Ruby managed to turn in midair, landing on the wall and pushed herself off it. She hurtled right back at the Beringel, firing away at its head as Yang unleashed another onslaught of punches. Until it grabbed Yang by her left fist and swung her at Ruby hard enough to break her Aura and send her sprawling across the pavement.

"RUBY…ARGHH! LEGGO'!" Yang shouted as the Beringel held her above its head, looking ready to bring her down upon its knee and tear her in half At least it would have if the Slayer hadn't smashed through the door of the shop he had been smacked into and ramming himself straight into the Beringel's back. It dropped Yang as it was lifted off its feet by the sheer force of the Slayer charge and was smashed right into another building. William gritted his teeth as he lifted himself off the ground and smashed his helmet under its chin.

The Beringel was in pain, which gave William a good enough opening to headbutt it again before ramming his knee right into its gut, cracking its armor, and following up with a punch that left its jaw dangling from its head. Garbling, it grabbed him by the helmet and tried to lift him off the ground by his head. William grabbed its hands and dug his fingers right into it, gritting his teeth as the bone cracked underneath his fingertips. He raised his feet up against its chest. Glancing over his shoulder he could see Yang picking herself up, her hair a disheveled mess.

Her eyes were glowing red.

She was seething.

She looked like she was on fire.

And she looked ready to put her fist right through the Beringel's fucking head. He just noticed Ruby near the crashed bullhead, taking aim through the scope of Crescent Rose. He obliged the both of them, tightening his grip on the Beringel, leaned back, shifting his weight as Ruby pulled the trigger and shot out both the Beringel's kneecaps. Yang charged forward and threw a right hook just as William fell over backward and bringing the Beringel with him. Its roar cut off as Yang's fist found its way past it's jaws and into mouth, Ember Celica discharging and reducing the head to a whiff of black smoke. Leaving a heavy, lifeless corpse to pin William to the ground, which he effortlessly shoved aside and was left staring up at the smoke rising into the sky.

If she hadn't been lying on the ground, Yang's jaw would have dropped at the sight of Ruby's new friend practically suplex a Beringel, a Grimm that she had been taught at Signal to avoid fighting alone. Yet this armored _'talks-a-lot'_ had stood a decent chance of finishing it off alone, if he hadn't had left it wide open for her to perform explosive dentistry. Yang smiled and walked over toward him. She extended a hand down to him:

"Badass, right?"

William stared at her hand before reaching forward and grasping it, "Right." He wasn't prepared for her strength as she hoisted him up onto his feet. "Ruby?"

Yang gasped when she suddenly her sister. "RUBY!" she cried out as she ran towards her motionless form on the road. William calmly picked his chainsaw up from the ground, gave it a once-over for damage, before heading over towards the wrecked bullhead where Team CFVY were recovering themselves.

Coco groaned as she felt like she had bruised a couple of rip. She noticed William walking his way towards them, and the headless Beringel suddenly reared up behind him with its fists swinging down towards the Slayer's shoulders. William's chainsaw was already revving and he spun around to slice off the Beringel's arms, only to stop when his chainsaw was an inch away from a smartly-dressed blonde woman's head whose riding crop generated a purple barrier that deflected the Beringel's strike. The Grimm shuddered before it exploded in a blaze of purple energy that completely erased the Grimm from existence.

"Ms. Goodwitch." Coco called out, surprised to see her appear seemingly out of nowhere and come to the Slayer's aid.

"If I had the time, I would lecture you students until you graduate. Never fight a Beringel unless you have the proper numbers and tactics on hand," Glynda Goodwitch said sternly. She turned to look up at William, very unimpressed with him. "But I can tell you that you should never turn your back on your opponent."

Already William could tell Goodwitch was someone he was going to be butting heads with. He snorted, "Monsters in this world don't need a head?"

"If there is enough negativity in the immediate area, then a Grimm can survive normally mortal wounds long enough to kill someone unawares," Glynda explained. She regarded the Slayer wearily, "You are not a Huntsman or a member of any kingdom's military, are you?"

"…" William checked his assault rifle, inwardly cursing that he was out of again out of ammo.

"No." he replied, his attention seemingly focused on his weapon, causing Glynda to scowl at his dismissal.

"Do you have a name?"

"William."

Glynda raised an eyebrow, "Just William?"

"…" the Slayer was unsure if he should give out his full name, at least until VEGA spoke up.

 _ **++ Disclosure of your full identity is a first step towards securing the cooperation of locals.++**_ VEGA communicated only to him.

"…yes. William grounded out, ignoring VEGA's advice. Glynda didn't miss how forced that affirmation sounded. Almost sounded like he was ashamed of his full name because it was cursed, or something to that effect.

Or maybe he was just being rude.

She decided to leave it for now.

"And whose blood is that all over you?" Glynda added.

"Zombie demon blood!" Ruby called out as she hobbled over towards them, Yang's arm around her. Glynda's jaw nearly dropped when she saw blood all over the girl as well. "It's zombie demon blood!"

"W-what?"

"Yeah, what she said." Yang said. "Ms. Goodwitch."

Glynda composed herself, again adjusting her spectacles with a sigh. "Miss Xiao Long, I thought it was made clear that all first years, upon arrival, are supposed to remain within Beacon's grounds until Initiation has concluded."

 _'Xiao Long?'_ William was curious why Ruby and her sister didn't share the same last name.

Yang rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly, "I…err…had some business in Vale I wanted to take care of first. I was just about to head back to Beacon when suddenly…" She stretched her arms outward. "Grimm! Grimm everywhere!"

Glynda sighed and pinched her nose. "I…see."

"What'll we do now, Ms. Goodwitch?" Velvet asked. "We're pretty vulnerable out here in the open."

"The Grimm are being routed, Miss Scarlatina. The force attacking Vale is an offshoot of the Grimm tearing through the rest of the kingdom, and even they are being contained as we-" Glynda paused when once again her eyes landed on William and the way he held his heavy assault rifle. She frowned, "Don't you know the first thing about firearm safety?"

"What?" William replied. Glynda pointed her riding crop at the barrel of his rifle, which suspiciously was pointed straight at her. Admittingly unsafe. "Gun's empty." She narrowed her eyes at him. He simply snorted and slung his rifle over his shoulder, barrel pointed up in the air. "Happy?"

Glynda visibly didn't take kindly to William's attitude

"As I was saying: All we need to do now is to finish off the Grimm remaining in Vale City." She turned to Ruby, Yang, and William. "Which you three seem to have already taken in stride."

"Well, we were in the neighborhood," Yang shrugged with a grin. She pointed at thumb at William, "And this Beringel-suplexing badass just dropped from the sky right as I was about to finish the rest of em' off."

"…" William looked up at the sky, pistol in hand. "Head's up."

Nevermores were suddenly circling above them, very large ones as well. Glynda observed their behavior, curious as to why with their numbers they could just swoop down and finish them all at once. She glanced at William wearily.

 _'No, that is not possible.'_ she thought. _'It must be a coincidence. Just because a 'Huntsman wearing armor' was killing the Grimm infesting Luckshire, there was a sudden spike in the Grimm's aggression throughout Vale. There's not nearly enough negativity radiating off one person to drive all the Grimm to such desperate behavior.'_ Her eyes narrowed, _'Then again, Ironwood sending Schnee and those Marines on a 'training exercise' around the same time... yet another coincidence?'_ She looked at William again, _'I guess I just have to trust what Ozpin plans for someone like him.'_

With all the strength that she had left, Ruby hefted the Crescent Rose's sniper up to her eye. At the same time, Coco pointed the barrel of her gatling gun upward and Glynda stretched her riding crop, brimming with dust energy. Yang reloaded Ember Celica as she stood beside William. That smile never left the blonde's face "Good for another round?"

"I know I am!" Ruby grinned tiredly.

William regarded his new comrades-in-arms.

 _Comrades_ , it was more than a long time since he fought alongside someone that wasn't just him, his guns, and his white-hot rage. And he was feeling smothered with being surrounded by living people. He knew there was something wrong with him, when he preferred the sight of human corpses rather than the living, breathing, warm ones.

His mind drifted to Ruby when he thought about warmth. Her face, her smile, her silver eyes…it all just made him feel restless. He needed to be alone, and the sooner he can let these people know about the demons threatening to skin them and dance around in their guts, the sooner they can give him back the rest of the weapons. And let him be on his way to kill more of them, and these Grimm bastards to if they get in his way.

"What? Where they are going?" Velvet called out in surprise, drawing William back to the present when they saw that the Nevermore had stopped circling them and ascended into the sky.

 **++Argent signatures detected and are rapidly approaching Vale City.++** VEGA suddenly and loudly announced for everyone present to hear, causing Velvet to jump in fright away from William and Coco to point her gatling gun straight at William.

"Did your suit just talk?" Coco growled.

"No wait that's VEGA, the computer in William's suit!" Ruby cried. "He's on our side too."

Alarmed, Glynda exclaimed, "You have an artificial intelligence in your possession?!"

William ignored the shouting and finger-pointing as he looked up at the sky to see what was drawing the airborne Grimm's attention: An airship descending from the sky on a direct course towards the Vale - fire and hellish energy erupting from its hull. Everyone else followed suit. "Is that…?" Velvet muttered fearfully.

 **++Immediate evacuation is advised.++**

"Yeah that thing's gonna crash right on top of us!" Yang exclaimed.

Glynda didn't t waste time. "Quickly, children! To cover, now!"

(RWBY)

In the Atlas Marine bullhead heading towards Vale from Beacon Academy, Winter frantically checked her scroll and went through Vale's Arrival/Departure times. She felt her blood run cold when she checked the morning arrivals and went through the passenger list. She could only watch as the airship crashed downtown, explosions large enough to be seen from at least a mile away and the Nevermore encircling the smoke that was starting to rise from the burning wreckage.

She whispered fearfully, "Weiss…"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Honestly, I think it's all the support that this fic has gotten that's kept my interest in writing as a hobby going. I never imagined I'd get 100+ reviews over five, now six, chapters. It goes a long way in telling me how far I've come over twelve years writing. So, a big thank you to all of you. :-)_

 _Last chapter, the underground flesh chapel had to have been one of the most horrifying things I've ever written. At one point, I'm going to have to top that somehow. ;-)_

 _Music listened to while writing this fic:_ _ **Slayer**_ _. ALWAYS listen to thrash metal, heavy metal or any some of metal while writing a DOOM fic._


	7. The New World V: White Myrtles

_**v.2 Beta: Sir Attlich  
**_

* * *

Klaxons and bloodcurdling screams seemed to blend together in an ever-deafening chorus of death as hundreds of passengers on the airship bound for Vale from Atlas rushed to get to the other side of the ship and away from the onslaught - they pushed, shoved and trampled over one another through the bulkhead doors up towards the deck as they tried to flee from the shambling Possessed, whose clothes were melted to their bodies as Hell energy radiated from them.

"BACK! STAY BACK, YOU…YOU FIENDS!"

A girl stood between her fellow countrymen and the undead. She grasped her Multi-Action Dust Rapier tightly as she pulled it out of the eye socket of the closest Possessed, kicking it down the stairs into the crowd of flesh-hungry living corpses. Blood drenched her pretty white dress and her eyes dimmed in fury which somewhat made the scar down across her left eye look quite menacing.

It felt like she was in a sauna as she fought the monsters, even more so when Myrtenaster's revolver chamber loaded the Fire Dust. She pulled the trigger as she thrusted the rapier through the chest of another Possessed, setting it on fire and burning it from the inside out. The fire catched the other Possessed and burned them to cinders.

Weiss Schnee believed she felt some kind of unnatural energy (was that the right word?) radiating off these shambling monstrosities. She felt like she was boiling within her own Aura, if such a thing was even possible, even before the attack of the mindless living corpses. She started feeling it when something hit the side of the airship. The lights went out, the ship's captain reported technical problem over the public announcement system but it was nothing to worry about, as he assured the passengers. Suddenly passengers on the lower and middle decks started to go berserk, with their flesh melting off their bodies and their clothes and other personal belongings fusing to what was left of their bodies.

And now here she was feeling like she was going to burn to death only with any visible flames long before these things tear her to pieces.

Summoning a fire shield with Myrtenaster she deflected another Possessed reaching for her and sent its burning torso flying against the far end of the bulkhead, shattering it to bloody pieces, it's legs toppling over sideways a moment later. Blood splattered into her face and caused her to recoil in disgust. Never had she imagined she would be shedding red, hot human blood instead of the Grimm's cold and black.

She switched Myrtenaster's cartridge to Wind Dust and unleashed a massive torrent that sent more Possessed flying through the bulkhead. She followed up by summoning a glyph that slammed the bulkhead door shut, crushing another Possessed underneath. She cringed and stepped back when she heard the Possessed banging furiously on the other side. She quickly relaxed when she realized they weren't going to break through.

Weiss sighed, "There, they've been contained." Suddenly the ship rocked and explosions could be heard tearing out through the hull. "Huh?!"

"Ms. Schnee, we just lost the engines!" she heard the captain shout at her over the PA system. "Those things are still tearing through engineering. We can't stay in the air forever unless we want to go up in flames. I'm putting us down for an emergency landing in Vale!"

"What?! Are you insane?!" Weiss exclaimed out loud. "You want to bring these things to Vale?"

"Either that or your father will bring hell down on my company and my family when he finds out what's left of my ashes got his daughter killed!" the captain exclaimed. Weiss winced upon mention of her father. "So, get your ass up here with the rest of the passengers and brace for impact in three minutes, princess!"

Weiss felt her left eye twitch upon being called like that. "Fine!" she sheathed Myrtenaster and stormed up the stairs leading to the top deck. "I'll just have to kill them before we-" She paused as she noticed out the corner of her eye the corpse of one of the airship's guards. She swallowed as she saw his horrified face, frozen in his last horrible moments of living being swarmed by those… _things_. Things that once were her fellow countrymen.

Weiss expressed quiet sympathy for the corpse's eyes suddenly flashed red and it snarled at her before reaching for the assault rifle at its feet and pointed it at Weiss.

She drew Myrtenaster just as the Possessed Guard pulled the trigger…

(RWBY)

 **The New World V:**  
 **White Myrtles, Silver Eyes**

 _She who is blessed by the Wraith of Winter, honor her always. For you will be her shield, and she will be your sword._  
 _ **\- Corrax Entry 6:32**_

(RWBY)

 **(Wrecked Corner Store, Vale)**

Ruby groaned as she flipped herself over to the the other side.

The last thing she remembered was running for dear life before the airship came crashing right down on the district where they've been fighting the Grimm. She coughed the dust out of her lungs and quickly looked around, desperate to see a friendly, familiar face. "Yang?" she croaked as she stood up on wobbly feet, reaching for Crescent Rose and using it to stabilize herself. "William?"

She found herself being in a ruined general store. She could see the wreckage by looking at it from the window. Dust and fire left in the wake of the airship's emergency landing. A piece of the airship's wing stuck through the shop wall.

She saw a shadow shuffling near the corner around a shelve and Ruby limped towards it. "Hey," she croaked. "Can you help me? I think I hurt my foot. I-" she felt her voice die in her throat when saw that it was a Possessed in a ruined business suit bent over a half-eaten corpse and tearing a chunk out of its throat. It snarled up at Ruby and made a lunge for her. "Eeep…!" she cried and turned, yelping in pain from her twisted leg and she felt to the ground. Instinctively she extended the scythe of Crescent Rose and swung it at the Possessed as it went for her, slicing it in half, with the torso falling to the ground as it's legs fell over backwards. The Possessed, however, was still alive as it snarled and started crawling towards her. But it didn't get far when a sword came down seemingly out of nowhere, and impaled its head.

Ruby looked up at in astonishment to see a scruffy looking blonde-haired, blue eyed teenage boy wearing armor over a hoodie who was panting uncontrollably as he pulled his sword back, right before he started frantically hacking the Possessed with both hands on the hilt, with each clumsy blow blood splattered over the both of them until the Possessed stopped moving. The teenager finished it off by shoving his sword right into its back, twisting it. Right after this grisly display he asked, hopefully, "Is it dead?"

Ruby nodded, "I think it is."

"Oh, oh thank goodness!" the teenager doubled over with his hands on his knees as he tried to calm himself. "I thought the only thing we were hiding from were the Grimm and not…whatever these things are." Still visibly shaking he offered a hand to Ruby, "Can you get up?"

Ruby took his hand and hissed as she stood back up, "Ow. I think I twisted my leg."

"Here, lean on me," the boy said and Ruby did so, Crescent Rose in her right hand as she leaned against his left side. "Me and bunch of others were hiding from the Grimm in one of the backrooms." He sighed, "I swear they just came out of nowhere and- "

"Hiding?" Ruby asked.

The blonde boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh…civilians were taking shelter, I was just passing by and stuck around to protect them, heh," he quickly rattled off with a fake smile. Clearing his throat, they made for the door leading towards the shop's backroom. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

"Ruby Rose," Ruby replied. She tried to pull away from Jaune. "I need to find my sister and my friend…OW!" She nearly fell over but was caught by Jaune. "I-I'll be fine."

"Yeah with these things shambling around, not with a busted leg you're not," Jaune stated. "C'mon…" He muttered under breath, "Reeeeeaaaallllly not prepared to handle this thing on my own…."

Ruby thought she heard him mutter something, "Hey Jaune, did you say something?"

"Uh…nothing. Nothing."

(RWBY)

"Sound off! Velvet?"

"Owww…I'm alive."

"Yatsu?"

"Here."

"Fox?"

"…"

"Perfect!" Coco checked her gatling gun for any external damage that the weapon may have suffered. She slightly winced when she heard Velvet cry out in pain as Yatsuhashi tightened the gauze around the wound in her arm where he had yanked a piece of steel out of.

As she gathered her bearings she remembered all of them running in the opposite direction of the crashing airship as they realized that they wouldn't be able to turn a street corner in time. So they were forced to go through the nearest door leading into the one of the shops and keep going. The ship's crash sent structures falling all around them. Yatsuhashi's impressive strength helped tear their way through the building and emerge towards the street opposite of the crash. And here they were laid out in the middle of the street sucking dust and nursing their wounds.

Coco immediatelly dialed Professor Goodwitch's number.

Massive interference. No connection.

"We need to go back and check if anyone else managed to dodge a couple hundred tons of flying metal." Coco declared "Hey Velvet, you going to slow us down?"

Velvet's smile was painful as she moved her injured arm, "Wouldn't dream of it." Her ears stood on end when she heard a woman's screams that quickly turned into pained gurgling. "What's that?"

Team CFVY turned around the corner of the ruined structure only to witness quite a horrifying scene.

Velvet slapped herhands over her mouth mid-scream at the sight of several burned men and women ,dressed in what she recognized as Atlas clothing, tearing another woman to pieces with their bare hands. One of them had her shredded throat in his mouth as he ate away at her neck, which was so torn up that her head rolled away from the rest of the body.

The Atlesian Possessed all looked up at Team CFVY,. Their eyes were bloodless and lifeless. All of them stopped feasting their fresh kill and started shambling towards CFVY, with their mouths wide open as they snarled. Coco felt blood ooze down her chin as she bit through her lip, rage coursed through her being as she turned her gatling gun back into a handbag before swinging it into the head of the nearest Possessed, which exploded in a squall of gore.

All the while Coco was screaming: "BASTARDS!"

(RWBY)

William struggled against the rubble piled up atop him that was keeping him pinned to the road. As far as he could tell - his armor was still intact and was doing one hell of a good job of keeping his torso from being crushed underneath what he was guessed was an entire building.

He could move his leg indicating that they were unobstructed, and it look awkward as all hell with his legs sticking out the rubble. "Hang on!" he heard Yang's voice call out to him, followed by the sounds and vibrations of structure being shifted off on top of him culminating with the light shining onto his face through his visor and a disheveled, gasping Yang lifting the last piece of rubble off of him.

The blonde looked down at him, looking upset and unsure if he was still alive. William grunted as he tried to move, and a relieved smile lit up Yang's face before reaching down towards him. "Hey, I got'cha!" Again, William was impressed by Yang's strength as she managed to take him by the hands and lift him up back on his feet. Yang looked a little intimidated when she saw that the Slayer appeared almost unharmed, save for a fore more scrapes on his suit, speaking of which. "What the heck's that suit made off?" Yang cried. "It looked like it was the only thing keeping you from being squashed underneath a couple tons of rubble."

"…" William looked around to see that Yang wasn't exaggerating. They were standing in the middle of a completely flattened two story building. He grabbed Yang and forced their way out of more debris that fell from the ceiling. They jumped right into the street, Yang coughed and waved away the dust left in the wake of the airship's crash landing, while the aircraft itself was lying dormant in the middle of the road. Several other buildings were flattened underneath it.

Yang gasped, "Where's Ruby?!"

 **++There is no sign of Ms. Rose, Team CFVY or Ms. Goodwitch in the immediate vicinity,++** VEGA stated. **++But given the strength of Aura they are most likely still alive.++**

"Ruby's Aura was depleted!" Yang exclaimed desperately. "Then suddenly an airship drops out of the sky and... did your suit just fucking talk?" She quickly rattled that last part off, jabbing a finger into his chest-plating.

William tapped his helmet, "VEGA. AI. Here to help." Yang gave him a puzzled look. "Artificial Intelligence."

"I know what an _'AI'_ is!" Yang exclaimed. "Alright, this is just too much now! You and my baby sister arrive in the Vale the same time all this shit goes down. Then I see that she's covered in someone's blood and I find out that she had to literally hack her way out of a bad situation you probably landed her in…and…" Clearly, she was starting to trip over herself in anger born of worry. "Who...what are you?!"

This only annoyed the Slayer. She hadn't been bothered when he had dropped out of the sky to save her and he just happened to have her younger sister in tow. And now said younger sister was nowhere to be found.

 _'Cue the overprotective sister getting in my way cliche. Fuck my life some more.'_ William brushed Yang's hand away. "I'll find her."

Flabbergasted Yang watched William walk towards the destruction on the streets. "Hey!" she cried as she ran after him. "Not without me you're not!" Fire erupted out the side of the airship in a large explosion that knocked both Yang and the Slayer down. "AH!"

 **++Caution: Argent signatures emerging from wreckage,++** VEGA said as Slayer got back up. **++Prepare for immediate hostilities.++**

"Prepare for what?!" Yang shouted, rubbing her aching head. She opened her eyes just in time to see a Possessed hobbling towards her, it's flesh melting off its body as flames consumed it.. "WAAAHH!" she screamed as she jumped back up and swerving to avoid the it's lunge, the tip of its hand grazing her hair and singing a few tips. Smelling her own cooked hairs, that sat her off right away.

"MONSTER!" she bellowed and threw a straight jab, expecting to send the flaming Possessed flying. Instead Ember Celica blew a hold right through its chest and her fist emerge out it's back, blood spraying all over face and chest.

Having never being exposed to violence like this Yang eyes nearly bulged out of her skull and she tasted its blood. "W-wha-what…?" Yang mumbled as she felt herself drift off into shock at the thought she had drawn human blood. The Possessed was still alive and grabbed both sides of her face, the flames burning through her Aura as it opened its mouth to try and bite her face off, and Yang only came back to reality when the Possessed head exploded and its body crumpled to the ground. She turned to see William with his pistol aimed her way.

Yang's shock gave way to anger. "You nearly shot my head off! What'd the big-?" Yang paused when William flicked her upside the nose, cutting her off mid-rant. "OW! HEY! What was that for?!"

"You hesitate, people die," William stated firmly.

"Uh…but…" Yang stuttered, feeling lost. "But…there was blood and-"

"Get used to it," William said as he headed towards the airship. He noticed a riding crop half buried in the rubble and recovered it, gripping it tightly in his hand. "Go find Ruby."

Yang blinked as he walked towards flaming wreckage, dauntless. "You're going in there alone?!" William revved the chainsaw before slinging it over his shoulder. Yang watched as he stepped through the flames and disappeared into the crashed airship. She swallowed, and winced when the tip of her nose ached where he flicked her.

"Ow," she groaned. _'He nearly flicked it clean off my face. Jerk.'_

(RWBY)

 **(Crashed Atlesian Airship)**

Weiss came to her senses and coughed within the burning wreckage of the airship. She groaned - her chest felt like it had been struck with a sledgehammer. Her Aura had held and absorbed the shots when the Possessed Guard had discharged its rifle at her, giving her the time to skewer the former human to the wall with Myrtenaster.

She still felt the force behind the blast that hurt like hell, which may have contributed to her passing out against the wall just before the airship crashed in downtown Vale.

The fact that there were a dozen of those things in the airship that are trying to claw their way out of the hull and into the streets wasn't helping her current predicament.

Not one bit.

 _'I…I can't let them out...'_ , Weiss' thought determined as she staggered back up onto her feet, with Myrtenaster in her right hand as she balanced herself against the steel wall with her left. She cried out in pain as the metal was overheated, and would've caused some burns if it weren't for her Aura.

Weiss felt her shaking with fear when he heard a pained scream echoing down the steel corridor that lead to the bridge. She forced that fear down. She gripped Myrtenaster tightly as she turned around to just in time to see the bifurcated corpse of the airship being hurled her way. She couldn't stop herself from screaming as she ducked out of the way. The corpse splattered against the wall with the blood spraying on her. She looked up towards the bridge as she saw someone step out the bridge door, who was armed with a longsword-cannon in his left hand.

Weiss recognized him – Reinhold ,she thought his name was - a fellow Atlesian who was also a Huntsman. His black beard made his maniacal smile looking absolutely maddening as his reddened eyes glowed, crimson static radiating off his visible, tainted Aura as he literally looked like a possessed man.

"What are you-?!" Weiss cried, cutting herself off when Reinhold lifted his weapon, took aim and fired, blowing a large, molten hole right through the steel wall where Weiss would've been if she didn't rolled out of the way. She quickly summoned a glyph behind herself and launched herself off of it towards Reinhold, with the point of Myrtlenaster aimed straight for the Huntsman's heart.

Reinhold parried her thrust with his much heavier sword, throwing her off balance and leaving herself open for a mighty blow that sent her flying right through the aforementioned molten hole and into the aircraft cabin. Her Aura held the blow, so she managed to get herself up.

She didn't count on a Possessed who grabbed her from behind and sank its teeth into her neck. It unable to tear flesh but the bite still hurt. Weiss screamed as she felt it's teeth against her neck, the energy radiating off its form feeling like it's setting her Aura alight. She quickly tore herself away from it, swinging Myrtenaster and slicing it across the large hole in its face she assumed was its eye. As a result, its face essentially exploded and its jaw fell to the ground while the rest of it toppled over backwards onto the ground, ending up motionless on the ground. Before she could gather her senses, she realized the entire cabin was filled with the Possessed, who were snarling and shambling towards her.

Weiss turned around and instinctively summoned a glyph that blocked Reinhold's next strike, the spinning of the intricate designed glyph was keeping his sword suspended in midair. Seeing the opening, Weiss thrust her saber at the Possessed Huntsman. However, he let go the hilt of his weapon to grab Weiss' rapier by the blade, which caught Weiss off guard.

His blood travelled down the length of Myrtenaster when it pierced through his Aura. He socked Weiss in the forehead with his free hand, making the heiress stumble away from the Huntsman. Weiss recovered fast enough to dodge an incoming Possessed, which was then sliced in half by Reinhold as he swung wildly away at Weiss.

With the grace of a ballerina she skirted around Reinhold and the Possessed, the liberal amounts of gore was being splattered as Reinhold hacked them to pieces as he pursued her. Weiss thought her teeth were going to crack any given second the way she grinding them as the viscera splattered on her and her white dress. She felt like she was going to keel over and puke her breakfast out - she wasn't prepared to see human, or former human, blood all over herself.

Another explosion tore through the airship right behind Weiss, sending her stumbling forward. The edges of her skirt singed from the flames. She gasped, feeling spots dance in her eyes and for moment she was worried she might have received a concussion. She looked up to see Reinhold glaring down at her, his reddened eyes dimming and his smile was twisted as he kicked her upside the face, sending her spinning upward and landing painfully on her back, as her saber rolled out of her hand. She cried out in pain, and felt her Aura being rapidly depleted as the flames around them grew more intense. She reached for Myrtenaster as Reinhold aimed his sword-cannon at her. Knowing his next shot was guaranteed to shatter her Aura and probably blow her off she screamed in denial as she gripped Myrtenaster's hilt and pointed it at Reinhold, using the very last bits of her strength to try to summon one last glyph.

Energized-sounding gunfire from an unfamiliar weapon in an enclosed space such as an airship cabin threatened to pierce her eardrums as she saw an armored humanoid himself at Reinhold. It's elbow connected with his face, and powerful enough to penetrate his Aura and fracture his cheekbone. Reinhold staggered back, and clumsily lifted his sword-cannon with one hand at the humanoid and pulled the trigger, which his attacker simply side-stepped to avoid the shot that melted another hole in the wall. He then countered the attack with a swing of an oversized chainsaw he wielded, and it was hard enough to send Reinhold flying through the first hole he himself made with his sword-cannon and back towards the cabin. The Possessed bellowed in rage and agony the entire time as the Doom Slayer's blow separated his right arm from the rest of his body.

William noticed Weiss looking up at him in awed confusion as if she was unable to comprehend he had arrived just in time to save her from being blown in half by the Possessed Huntsman's monstrosity of a hybrid weapon.

Possessed Huntsman?

 _ **++That Huntsman is currently being possessed by a demon,++**_ VEGA said, which was something William had already guessed. The AI added, _**++Ms. Rose had stated that a Huntsman and Huntress' Aura is their soul. Perhaps an Aura user is at an even bigger risk of becoming a Possessed?++**_

"…" William gathered that. "Shit…"

Weiss scowled. Her priorities certainly weren't in order, as they were within a burning airship wreckage that could explode at any given second, surrounded by corpses of the unliving and a homicidal maddened Huntsman on the loose, because she felt compelled to dress the Slayer down for his language.

"Excuse you!" William suddenly turned his attention on her, and Weiss suddenly looked afraid as if she could tell he was glaring at her from behind his visor.

He surprised her again when he offered her his hand, "Can you walk?"

Weiss took his hand and winced when she tried to stand up, "Ow…I think I bruised something but I can…EEEKKKKKK!" she shrieked when William suddenly reached forward, grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder. "Hey," she felt her face reddening. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Leaving," William said as he turned and headed back the way he came.

Weiss was beside herself with astonished anger, "How…how dare you treat me like…like…some maiden that needs to be rescued?! Do you any idea who I am?!"

"…"

"My name is Weiss Schnee!"

"Met your sister."

"Winter? Where did you…?" realizing she was still being carried over some armored brute's shoulder she went right back to pounding her fists against his back, Myrtlenaster still in hand. "PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN NOWWW!" She cried out when another explosion tore through the ship and William was soon running through the length of it past the corpses of Possessed and passengers alike, which culminated by Weiss subconsciously summoning a glyph underneath them that projected both straight out of the airship through the flames with him landing on one knee on the street.

"My hero," Weiss drawled, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now would you kindly put me down?" William just dropped on her ass on the street. "OW! What on Remnant is your probl-?!"

William revving the chainsaw, the blood running off of it and onto her silenced her, making her blood run cold. Turning to face the Atlesian Possessed that were still shambling forward from wreckage, until they were cut down in a hail of gunfire from the Atlas bullhead that was descending from the air and hovering above the street. William looked up to see the Atlas Marines firing down at the Possessed, with a certain someone standing behind them with Myrtenhain drawn.

"Weiss!" Winter called down to her younger sister.

"WINTER!" Weiss cried out, surprised to see her elder sister was in Vale.

The Marine Sergeant tossed an assault rifle from the bullhead, "Think fast, Marine!" William caught the rifle, quickly examined it.

 _ **++Light weight indicates this is an energy-based weapon,++**_ VEGA stated. William quickly aimed at the sight at the Possessed, firing at them. He got used to the blue muzzle flash quickly enough, and briefly pointed the rifle downward so that he could stomp on the kneecap of the Possessed that managed to get too close, which followed up with a left hook that popped it's head in a very messy fashion.

"Kelly!" Winter exclaimed at the sergeant, finally identifying him by name. "What are you doing, giving him a weapon?!"

"Evening the odds," Sergeant Kelly of the Atlas Marine Corps replied coolly. He shouted towards the cockpit, "Take us down!" The Marine leapt out of the bullhead before it touched the ground, opening up upon the shambling Possessed immediately.

Weiss found herself tasting Possessed blood, spitting it out quickly and feeling her stomach perform flip-flops. Taking William's advice and sucking it up she stood up with Myrtenaster at the ready and at William's side. "These things…they used to be my countrymen." She saw that William appeared nonplussed. "You do not care? Fine…"

"But after we have dealt with whatever creatures they've become, that just leaves you," Winter finished, Myrtenhain in its dual sword configuration.

"…" William didn't wait for them as he charged towards the Possessed. Both Schnee sisters briefly aghast at his boldness before following after him.

(RWBY)

 **(Backroom)**

The bloodcurdling gargling that came from death throes, the sounds of flesh and muscle torn from bone and the overpowering stench of feces and frenzied snarling would've made Glynda's blood turn cold if it wasn't for the simple fact that she is, well, Glynda Goodwitch.

Instead, she groaned as she forced her eyes open just in time to see a civilian desperately crawling towards her and grabbing her foot, with terror plastered on his face and tears running down his cheeks.

He gasped out: "I don't wanna die!", right before the Possessed swarmed him, dragged him kicking and screaming. His hands desperately grabbed Glynda's blouse and tore it a bit, eliciting a panicked cry from Glynda as she scrambled on her hands and feet backward as fast as possible, away from the Possessed. Most of them, she recognized, wore Atlas attire, and were currently engaging in a bloodied feast as they devoured dozens of wounded civilians in the center room. The whole scene looked like some kind of a depraved cannibalistic orgy. She slowly picked herself up, hoping that they wouldn't notice her.

Alas, her hopes were shattered as the Possessed sensed that there was still fresh meat left in the room. The zombies turned their attention to her and started hobbling towards her. Though she didn't have her glasses on she saw that these things weren't human anymore, thus no guilt would come from putting them out of their misery.

 _ **AT DOOM'S GATE (REMAKE)**_  
 _ **\- ANDREW HULSHULT**_

After realizing that her riding crop wasn't on her , she let out a cry of frustration and threw an Aura-enhanced straight jab that caved the skull of the closest Possessed, which sent it flying ,knocking several other Possessed. The nearest Possessed that was stunned met his end as the last thing it sees is the heel of Glynda's shoe.

 _'Of all times, it's now that I have to scrape my knuckles?'_ Glynda lamented in her thoughts. Blood dripped from her fists as she adopted a fighting stance, though she couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed that her skirt and heels were hampering her legwork a bit.

To the Possessed she declared, "Go back to the Hell you beasts crawled out of!"

Suddenly - Yang came smashing in right through the window, panting as she stared down the Possessed with their blood running down her face. "Mind if I join in, ma'am?!" Her brief aversion to killing something that resembled a human being went out the proverbial shattered window when she saw the partially eaten bodies of Vale citizens. The blonde brawler screamed out in fury and unleashed a rapid flurry of punches that sent chunks of Possessed flying all over.

Both Yang and Glynda immediately took notice at muffled voices that were coming from behind the door on the other side of the room, "…just in here, the rest of them safe in…" the door was kicked open to reveal a blonde teenager armed with a sword, who was also wearing a glaringly impractical armor/hoodie combination with Ms. Rose's arm over his shoulder as he helped her to walk. "…here." the blonde finished quietly. He looked ready to faint at the sight of the carnage.

"RUBY!" Yang exclaimed, horrified that her sister was baring witness to such horror.

Jaune almost nearly did faint at the sight of all those civilians he had left behind nearly five minutes ago being devoured by the undead. What stopped him, however, was Ruby who screamed before she extended Crescent Rose and threw herself at them, ignoring the pain in her leg as she sliced the Possessed to pieces, making an even bigger mess than what the undead had left of the civilians.

Arms, legs and head were sent flying as Jaune got over the shock fast enough to hurl himself between Ruby and another Possessed that came out her from behind. He transformed his sheath into a shield and slammed it into the Possessed, knocking it down on the bloody ground. Jaune shrieked when he found himself staring into the dead, half-eaten face of a civilian. He instinctively thrust his sword forward and impaled the Possessed through the chest as it hurled itself upon him. Jaune yelped as he struggled to keep his shield up against the Possessed's neck to keep it from tearing his own throat out, it's spit spraying on Jaune's face. The Possessed's head then suddenly exploded, courtesy of Ruby and her sniper-scythe. She pulled back the hammer to eject the spent cartridge before swinging it and bifurcating another Possessed. Her face devoid of expression... which slightly unsettled Jaune.

 _'What have I gotten myself into?'_ Jaune thought. He remembered he was lying down in a pool of human blood in a room full of shambling corpses, _'And I'm pretty sure I should be freaking out a lot more than I already am.'_

Suddenly the wall exploded outward, sending Possessed flying everywhere and in stepped a six-foot-five brute in power armor covered in weapons, the most prominent being the massive chainsaw on his back. Jaune pupils constricted in silent terror as the figure walked towards him, crushing undead skulls underneath his boots. Jaune's jaw dropped, _'Ok, now I'm definitely going to freak out now.'_ But he didn't when noticed whom was following Jaune – a petite looking white-haired girl in a skirt with her hair done in a sideways ponytail. _'Whoa…'_

"Up. Now," William snapped Jaune out of his reverie when he grabbed him by his shoulder and effortlessly hoisted him up onto his feet. He gulped as he was staring at his own blood-covered reflection in the soldier's visor. William tossed the riding crop to Glynda, which she effortlessly caught. Jaune couldn't hold back a gasp when the Doom Slayer pulled him forward by scruff of his hoodie and threw a left hook that punched another Possessed that was beside them right into the wall, leaving a massive crack in it.

All this time William was feeling hot within his armor, the sweat rolling off his forehead into his eyes. He staggered a bit and quickly reached for nearest piece of exposed steel to stop himself from collapsing.

 _'Of all the times,_ _NOW_ _I'm starting to get sick?!'_ His arm hurt where that bull Faunus had sliced him - _actually_ sliced him through his hell-forged plate, and probably got a tiny bit of it into the wound. _'Great, it's probably infected. Just what I needed.'_ He felt nauseous.

"William, are you ok?" Ruby limped up to the Slayer and put a hand on his shoulder. "You…staggered a bit there."

"..." William pulled himself away from her, earning a gasp from Ruby. "I'm fine." Ruby looked saddened, which drew the ire of Yang as she leveled a glare at the Slayer.

"Alright, that's it…" Weiss wiped her forehead. "I think they're all-" Jaune suddenly covered his mouth as he about faced and puked in the corner of the room. "Dead," Weiss finished, unruffled by the boy's sudden act.

Ruby closed her eyes tightly, "H-how many were in this room?"

"About…twenty-six people," Jaune wiped his mouth, sputtering. "I…I need some air…"

"Yeah, c'mon!" Yang grabbed Ruby by the hands and pulled her towards the hole William made in the way that led out in the street. "Let's just get away from…all this..."

One final explosion tore out of the airship, and the fire that was coming from it engulfed the street . Everyone present felt the unbearable heat, except for the Doom Slayer who just waltzed right towards the raging fire and the Possessed who still stumbled out while being wreathed in flames. Glynda watched in silent horror as William cut the undead Atlas civilians down with the chainsaw. She was gripping her riding crop tightly almost as if were a security blanket.

 _'This whole place is like a literal burning hell and he just threw himself straight into it. Without any hesitation whatsoever.'_

"What is this man made of?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"The guy's like a machine!" Jaune exclaimed. "Whoa!" he inched his head to the left to avoid a piece of Possessed flew over the Doom Slayer's shoulder.

Horrid, inhuman screaming pierced the air. With both hands on the hilt of his massive chainsaw, William turned around to see Reinhold who was stumbling towards him. His flesh was burning, his clothes have been burnt to cinder, he was missing his right arm and was using his sword-cannon as a walking stick. The Atlesian Huntsman snarled, baring his sharpened to the point teeth by the demon that possessed him. He was suddenly bombarded by automatic laser fire, courtesy of the Marines and the Knights from the bullheads hovering above. The troops stepped out of the aircraft and landed on the ground and marched towards the Possessed Huntsman.

Reinhold bellowed out loud, his corrupted Aura visible for all of them to see as demonic flesh tore its way out of the stump that used to be his missing arm and molded itself to be a replacement that was an elongated claw which was brimming with Hell energy.

Reinhold roared as he charged at all of them. He fired his sword-cannon at the Knights, reducing many of them to scrap metal before turning on the Atlas bullheads and shooting them down too. Before the Possessed Huntsman could do more damage, Doom Slayer rushed at him with his chainsaw, resulting in a sword-lock between the spinning blades and the hellish-looking longsword.

"HOLD FIRE!" Sergeant Kelly waved at the Marines who scattered from the now destroyed bullhead. The Doom Slayer and Reinhold exchanged blows with each other, until Reinhold decided to swing his mutated arm at the Slayer, successfully throwing off balance. The Huntsman followed up with a shoulder charge, which knocked the Doom Slayer down onto the ground. Reinhold now had a chance to pierce the Slayer with his longsword...

"YAAAHHH!"

Which was ruined as the sword struck Jaune's shield. The sheer force of the Possessed was pinning Jaune on top of William.

"Heh…hey!" Jaune forced a pained smile as he felt himself pressed against William's chest. "G-good thing that I made just in time."

 _'Fucking idiot!'_ was what William considered Jaune to be.

Reinhold stared down at the blonde teenager and redirected his aggression towards him, with both hands on the hilt of his sword as he tried to crack through the shield and pierce him in the chest.

"LITTLE HELP, PLEASE!" Jaune shout out loud.

Ruby cried out as she threw herself at Reinhold, who simply lifted his sword to block Ruby's blow. This action left himself open for Jaune to thrust his sword into his chest. The Possessed Huntsman let out a grunt of annoyance as he smacked Jaune with his free hand, sending him flying towards the nearest burning building. Jaune braced himself for excruciating pain, but only let out a frightened whimper as he made impact against a glyph. The glyph disappeared and Jaune landed on another glyph that appeared beneath him, before it disappeared in a similar fashion and landed on the ground. He was bruised, but alive.

Jaune groaned and rubbed his back. He looked up to see his savior, who was the girl in a white dress named Weiss, her saber pointed at him with an impassive look on her face.

"Winter!" the girl cried when she saw her sister hacking away at Reinhold's Aura. She moved fast enough so that the Possessed couldn't land a hit. That was until he discharged his demonically-infused Aura and sent her flying back. She screamed as she dropped her blade and writhed about on the ground, rolling as if she was trying to put out a non-existent fire. Weiss immediately rushed to her side.

William stood up to his feet and headbutted Reinhold. He caught the Possessed Huntsman's by gripping his shoulder. Drawing his pistol, he aimed it at Reinhold's head, who managed to slap it away. He wasn't fast enough, and thus his ear was blown off. The Possessed Huntsman, however, wasn't fazed by that and delivered an uppercut to William's chest, which knocked him away.

The Slayer landed on his knee, and his hands were on the ground to keep himself from collapsing. Yang took the initiative and unleashed a hail of punches at Reinhold. The Possessed lifted his blade up and turned it on its side, blocking the blonde brawler's strike. He followed it up with his own headbutt that stunned her, giving him enough time to pull the trigger of his sword-cannon that was pointed on her chest. The force of the blast sent her flying right into a car. Her body left a dent on the car, while the shot itself shattered her Aura.

"ARGH! DAMN IT!"

"YANG!" Ruby cried. She managed to compose herself just in time to block another one of Reinhold's blows as they crossed blades. His maniacal grin was all that she could see as he forced her down on her knee.

William managed to recover quickly as he grabbed his chainsaw and charged at him. Dust rounds whizzed right by his helmet and struck Reinhold's demonic Aura, courtesy of Coco and other members of CFVY.

Reinhold was pinned against the wall by Coco's gatling rounds, that held him long enough for William to perform a double-jump and bring the chainsaw down and smashed him through the wall , which also brought the roof of the building down on the Possessed Huntsman. William shifted backward , while smoke was obscuring his vision.

"Did we get him?!" Jaune hopefully cried out.

As the dust settled, all of them saw Reinhold pulling himself out of the rubble. He opened his mouth, but what came out however, wasn't his voice. It was someone else's.

Someone _familiar_.

 _ **"YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN SAVE THIS WORLD, DOOM SLAYER?"**_ the Voice was loud and aggressive, and everyone except the Doom Slayer thought their very souls shivered at the sound of it. _**"YOU COULD NOT HAVE SAVED YOUR SPECIES! WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE WITH THIS PITIFUL, DAMNED ROCK?!"**_

Jaune shook his head slowly, scared, "That's... not right."

Weiss was visibly shaking in her shoes. Winter thought, _'Gods, that voice?'_

Coco cringed, "Now that's not natural at all!"

"That sounds like a demon's voice!" Yatsuhashi exclaimed.

Yang stepped forward, "So what the hell are you supposed to be, huh?"

Reinhold, and by extension the owner of the Voice, smirked, _**"**_ _ **HELL**_ _ **? HEH, WE WILL BE SEEING ONE ANOTHER SHORTLY, HUMAN. YOU, EVERYONE YOU LOVE, EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT - ALL YOUR SOULS WILL BE OURS!**_ Reinhold make a beeline for Yang, only to stop in his track. _**"WHAT…WHA-?! NO!**_ _ **S**_ top!" Reinhold's voice lost its demonic edge, instead he sounded like a normal middle-aged man with an Atlas accent.

Winter eyes twitched, "R-Reinhold Schwarz?"

"Yes!" Reinhold exclaimed. His demonic arm twitched and twisted itself as it trying to wrench itself free from the rest of his body, no doubt still under the demon's control. He grabbed his own arm tightly. "I-I can't hold it for much longer!"

William frowned, "VEGA?"

 **++Drawing from Ms. Rose's explanation on how Aura functions and ispart of one's soul, I hypothesize that if someone who possesses an Aura makes them susceptible to demonic possession,++** VEGA explained. **++There are two beings inhabiting the form we see before us.++**

"That's not possible!" Weiss screamed. "You're talking as if he's being possessed by-"

"A demon!" Ruby cried. "A real life demon has taken him over, and he's trying to fight back against it!"

"K…k…KILL ME!" Reinhold screamed as he gripped his monstrous arm, fingers digging into the demonic flesh and drawing blood. "KILL ME PLEASE, PLEASE- _**YOU AND EVERY SOUL ON THIS WORLD WILL BE CONSUMED, DOOM SLAYER!"**_ Blood was dripping from _'Reinhold'_ face-splitting smile. _**"YOU CANNOT STOP THE INEVITABLE-!"**_

Ruby brought Crescent Rose down on Reinhold's head. The blow shattered the last of his Aura , but left Ruby open for him to grab her by the throat with his demon hand. His glowering lessened and his snarling lessened in tone when he looked into her pained, fearful eyes.

Her silver eyes.

 _ **"WHAT-?!"**_

Reinhold let go of Ruby as he felt himself lifted off the ground.

He looked down to see an armored hand that bursted from his chest, and was holding his beating heart. The Slayer's mouth open in a silent grunt as he tore his hand right out of the Huntsman's ribcage, leaving a gaping hole in the Huntsman's chest while tearing his heart right of his body. Everybody was sickened at the sight, no more than Ruby whose eyes widened in horror as he stared at the still beating heart that was glowing with Argent energy.

William crushed the heart in his hand as Reinhold's shattered corpse toppled over backwards, as the demon within the body was finally dead. The Argent energy being absorbed into the Praetor Suit, which cloaked the Doom Slayer in what could be mistaken to be his own Aura.

 **++Siphoning Argent energy through capillary tube system. Re-routing to suit subsystems and damaged parts of substructure. Commencing repairs…++** The crack in the visor mended itself, along with all the other assorted scratches, dings and visibly worn and damaged parts of the suit. It didn't take long for the energy to be fully absorbed, all that was left was static radiating off the suit. William turned to Reinhold's still body.

 **++Target is immobile. Critical threat neutralized.++**

William sighed in blinked, "So…it's over?" Ruby asked, drawing William's attention.

"Yeah," William replied. He saw how Ruby looked at him. "Scared?"

"…maybe... a little," Ruby replied, sheepishly. "Is that normal?"

"…" again William was confused that Ruby wasn't currently quaking in fear of everything that she had just been through.

"Heh," he couldn't but chuckle a bit, "You're somethin' else, Ruby Rose." He patted her on the shoulder for good measure.

In spite of the carnage wrought around them, Ruby blushed... and smiled.

"MARINE!"

William slowly turned around to see Winter drawing Myrtenheim with her Marine squad and a few surviving Knights in tow, with all of their weapons trained on him. The disheveled elder Schnee sister looked like she has definitely lost her patience and composure, as she shakingly lifted her saber and pointed it at him.

 _'Marine?'_ William thought. He was still baffled as to why he was being referred to by a vocation he had never been a part of.

Glynda scowled and stepped in front of Winter, "Schnee!"

"Stand aside, Professor Goodwitch," Winter dangerously stated. "This is Atlas business now."

"Pointing guns at the guy who helped save Vale?" Yang shouted, running up to both her sister and William. "Atlas has a pretty funny way of showing gratitude."

"He stopped us from getting eaten by those zombies!" Jaune exclaimed.

"He's the one who brought this madness here in the first place!" Winter fired back, gritting her teeth. "The Grimm going berserk! Atlas citizens possessed! It revolves around him - and Atlas will deal with it one way or another!" Glaring straight at the Slayer she declared, "You will either surrender and submit to the authority of General Ironwood of Atlesian Military or you will be put down immediately."

William chuckled painfully. Them, put him down? Then again, he felt like he was about to pass out at any given moment anyway.

"But he saved me!" Weiss interjected. "He saved me from Reinhold back in the airship!"

"Weiss," Winter stated glaringly and coldly. "First and only warning - let me do my job and step away from him. Now."

Weiss returned the glare, and stood right in front of William with her hand edging towards Myrtenaster, much to Winter's surprise.

"No," she simply stated. For emphasis, William's flanks were supported by Weiss, Ruby, Yang, Jaune and Team CFVY, their weapons already drawn. Glynda did a double take between them and shook her head, sighing as she stepped forward but taking care to keep a distance away from the Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training.

"Why don't we all just take a moment to compose ourselves and let calmer heads prevail," Glynda chided, tightening the grip on her riding crop. Turning to Winter, she said, "Obviously your mission, to _'secure'_ William, has been compromised."

"I have orders!" Winter exclaimed. "I will carry them out, Professor." She glanced over the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training. "No matter the cost."

"Wha…? WINTER!" Weiss shouted at her. "What are you saying?"

Unknown to everyone William was trying to push down the rage he felt towards this woman and her declaration.

Glynda frowned, "Would you risk Atlas' reputation and further civilian harm if you continue to pursue him now?"

Now Winter looked irked. "Why are you defending him?!"

"Hey, Professor Goodwitch has…uh…got a good point," said Ruby nervously, obviously not enjoying all the attention that was suddenly focused on her. "I…HEY!" William shuffled forward away. "William!"

"…" William sighed. He dropped his chainsaw followed by his EMG pistol and his energy rifle.

"No one's gettin' themselves hurt over me," he declared. "I'll…comply."

 **++That would be the correct course of action,++** VEGA stated.

Winter internally sighed with relief. Still looking at the Slayer sternly she lowered Myrtenhaim, "Remove your helmet."

"…"

"Take. Off. Your. Helmet." Winter punctuated, with obvious impatience her voice betrayed.

William complied. A hand grasped the sides underneath the now-repaired helmet and dropped it on the ground, to the eagerly awaiting stares all around himself. Winter gulped.

Yang smiled in spite of herself, obviously impressed by what she saw. "Oh, wow…"

Velvet on the other hand covered her mouth to suppress her startled gasp. Yatsuhashi and Fox appeared stoic at the sight of him and Coco took her glasses off, her eyes widened in shock, "Shit."

He was a young man, looking somewhere between eighteen to early twenties. His face was rounded, his chin was squared. He looked savage, defined - like a predator that was about to strike. Each strand of his short dark brown hair ended at a sharp point, giving him a wild appearance.

And with that came the scars: a small one that ran vertically across his left eyebrow, a large scar that ran which across the width of his face just below his eyes and over the bridge of his nose and an another small one ran diagonally across his right cheek just past his chin. The helix of his left ear was also missing, like if had been cut off. There were slash marks running diagonally across the right side of his neck which looked like marks an animal's claw. Ruby wouldn't have imagined that someone that looked so scarred and beaten could somehow at the same time look rather handsome. Or was the proper term rugged, like how her uncle tends to describe himself?

Jaune was taken back at the sight of him, "Holy...crap."

 _'This is the face of my savior?'_ Weiss thought, expecting someone older and more _'veteran'_ looking. _'He's…he's…'_

 _'So, there IS a man inside that armor. A young man. Or he looks like one at least.'_ Glynda's mouth was agape at the sight, not to mention state, of him. The normally stern woman looked like she was ready to burst into tears. Someone his age shouldn't look like that. Wait, are those…

Glynda gasped.

"Silver eyes."

His most distinct feature were his silver eyes. Not like Ruby's that were bright, innocent and full of wonder for the world. His were dull like old film, near lifeless and ones that have seen nothing but a lifetime of horrible things. William could tell what she was looking at, and with the last of his strength he looked back at her.

Ruby gasped. The dullness of his silver eyes, the weariness that exuded from his posture, the scars on his face and the sweat rolling down his face didn't distract from how defiant he appeared before Atlas.

Ruby felt a warmth in her chest. The way he looked at her with his own pair of silver eyes, no matter how dull they looked, was like a void that was slowly being filled. One that had been left in the wake of her mother's death. Her mother, and her silver eyes.

"Identify yourself!" Winter commanded.

"William."

The Specialist snarled, "Your FULL name?"

William frowned. "Blazkowicz," William found himself drawling. "William Joseph…Blazkowicz…the Third…"

Hearing him saying his full name, Ruby couldn't contain her wonder. "Blaze-Ko-Witz…" she quietly repeated his last name to herself, noting how foreign, otherworldly even, it felt to say it..

William just barely made out his cursed family name before he closed his eyes dropped his helmet, which rolled on the ground towards Ruby. His strength finally gave out and he collapsed.

"Hey, I gotcha, big guy!" Yang exclaimed as she ran over and caught him in her arms, his face buried into her shoulder before she gently laid him down on the ground and he found himself staring up at the morning sky before his eyes slowly closed for good as he started to slip into unconsciousness, just barely registering Yang's voice. "Hey, what's wro-?"

"Will-? WILLIAM!" Ruby screamed as she ran over to him. "What's happening to him?!"

"I-I don't know he's…" Yang felt his forehead and gasped, pulling her hand back as if away from a blazing, which William felt like. "Oh shit, he's burning up! It's like he's on FIRE!"

"That means he's running a fever!" Glynda stated. Pushing past Ruby, she put a hand on his forehead, "A high one."

"Can't we cool him off or something?" Jaune cried.

"I still got some Ice Dust!" Weiss exclaimed, pulling out a vial of the stuff. She scowled, however, when Glynda swatted it away from William and it smashed on the ground, scattering glass and Dust all over the ground.

"No, otherwise he'll go into chills! He needs proper medical attention," Glynda explained. She shouted over at Winter, "SCHNEE!"

Winter didn't waste time. "CORPSMEN!" she exclaimed. "Stabilize him! Get that armor off!"

Addressing the younger Huntsman and Huntresses-in-training, she declared, "This is out of your hand, please keep out of the way." She turned to Yang, "Ms. Xiao Long."

Yang nodded and held Ruby by her shoulder, "C'mon, let them do their jobs."

"But…!" Ruby cried as gripped William's gauntlet tightly, right before she was pulled away by Yang to make way for the medics and she, Yang, Jaune and Weiss were ushered away by the other Marines. She found tearing up as her view of him was obscured by the corpsman's back, "WILLIAM!"

William slowly felt himself conk out, his last thoughts being how glad he was that he got to see another pair of silver eyes.

'… _count to four. Inhale…'_

' _Count to four. Exhale…'_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Yeah, that happened: Glynda's a badass even without her riding crop and Jaune's a bit more competent (you'd need to be if you own a sword and shield and there's Possessed out to devour you). And so, we conclude the second story arc which hopefully sets the tone for the rest of the story._

 _Argent is derived from the Latin word argentum, which translated means 'Silver.' The Doom Slayer is the most powerful warrior around. Logical conclusion: Argent D'Nur had their own Silver Eyed bloodlines, and William Joseph Blazkowicz III/The Doom Slayer is the last of the ancient ones of the First Age. ^_^_

 _I did mention this fic was inspired by DOOM: RWBY by DemonFireX, and that includes the protagonist's (physical) age. It'd fit RWBY's themes of the young being made to take on the responsibility of saving the world. That, and William would be a deconstruction: He's EVERYTHING every young Huntsman and Huntress should aspire to be in terms of martial prowess and determination, but is reduced to a hateful, genocidal killing machine whose mere presence on a world besieged by creatures drawn to negativity would make things worse. And you wouldn't want Team RWBY going through everything the Doom Slayer went through, would you?_

 _And making him a Silver Eyed Warrior: Besides in the interest of continuity between the RWBY and DOOM universes, we can consider silver eyes the mark of a great warrior. Spoiler warning: He won't be getting any of the same powers Ruby has. His powers have already manifested in his strength, speed, killing power, ability to handle demonic powerups without going insane or his heart exploding, and he's fueled by psychopathic HATRED of anything that looks at humanity the wrong way…which is the complete opposite of Ruby._

 _Some people are already asking if William is going to be paired up with anyone. At first I was like "Wha…?" Then "Meh. Something to think about…" I think that's partly the reason why I've made him (look) the same age as the other main characters, I feel like keeping the possibility open. ;-P_

 _William/Doom Slayer's imagined voice actor: Brian Bloom, same voice actor as B.J. Blazkowicz, only without the southern accent. Speaking of which, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus coming out at the end of October. :-)_

 _One last thing: Goblin Slayer. Light Novel. Manga. Read it! Medieval Doomguy killing the fuck outta goblins. Good times!_


	8. At Doom's Gate I: BJ Blazkowicz III

_**v.1**_

* * *

 **(Unknown Location, Argent D'Nur)  
(Several Millenia ago…)**

Shivering as they huddled in the corner of the airship's darkened, dirty hold behind some crates, William felt his younger brother sleep against his chest after hours of crying, the bruises on the three-year-old's face and the smell of the blood matting his short blonde hair no longer bothering him enough to stop him from succumbing to exhaustion. Now William on the other hand, the elder five-year brother he is, felt like he couldn't afford to fall asleep, not when he had to protect his brother from the people who had grabbed the both of them off their property while their parents were inside the house talking to some government rep – what his dad called him anyway. That and the still bleeding cut across his face where one of the kidnappers slashed him across the face when he tried to stop them from separating him and Hunter.

 _Count to four, inhale,_ William repeated the breathing exercise his father had taught him, saying the words over and over in his head. _Count to four, exhale._ He nearly jumped when he heard gunfire erupt outside the door followed by men shouting, screaming and that all too familiar sound of someone's head getting stomped repeatedly into the well. Holding his brother tighter to himself and causing him to stir he heard the hold door open and the rabid, panicked breathing and cursing of one of the kidnappers.

"Shitshitshitshitshi _tshitshitshit_ oh fuck…oh fuck me…" he slammed the hold door shut and the sound of his footsteps he was pacing. And was on the verge of crying, "Wraiths please forgive…please forgive me for taking someone else's children…forgive me for mutilating a child…"

Hunter groaned as he stirred in William's arms. "Mmm… _B.J_?" he muttered tiredly as he rubbed his eyes.

William panicked, "Shhhhhh…." he frantically hushed Hunter. To no avail, however, as a second later he looked up to see one of their terrified kidnappers, tears and snot running down his face, looking down at them. His face suddenly took a turn toward rage before reaching for Hunter and tearing the toddler out of William's arms. "NO!" William cried as he scrambled up on his feet and tried to grab his brother back, the kidnapper kicking him in the face and knocking down him down on his stomach.

"It's your fault, it's all your _fault_!" the kidnapper exclaimed above Hunter's crying and calling out to his brother. He covered the boy's mouth with his hand. "Shut up, you little half-bred bastard!" William groaned and clutched his profusely bleeding face, looking past the blood in his eyes to see the man draw a bloodied knife and hold it to the Hunter's throat. Crawling towards the man he looked up to see him wave the blade at him. " _You_ stay there!"

Light flooded the hold as the door was kicked open, William shielding his face from the glare. He can make the silhouette panting furiously in the doorway; his smoking, prized shotgun in his hands. He stepped forward to reveal his worn bloodstained green armor, pants, gloves, elbow protectors and grey helmet; standing six feet tall and built big enough to bench press a bull beastman. Hunter's watery eyes widened and he squealed against the kidnapper's hand, stretching a tiny hand toward shim while William rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things.

"…daddy?"

The kidnapper put the point of the blade against Hunter's throat. "J-j-just stay back, stay the fuck back Blazkowicz!" he shouted, trying to sound tough by was beside himself with fear. "T-Terran scum, a-all you had to do was send them to Empyrean peacefully and all t-this could have been avoided."

A seething, enraged glare that could be seen through his helmet's visor was the only response the Marine could give, his eyes darting between his children, the kidnapper and the blade he held against his youngest son's throat. He took a step forward.

"…" the Marine said nothing.

"I SAID STAY BAC-!" William reached up at the kidnapper, grabbing him by the arm and pulling the blade away from Hunter's neck. "NO-!"

The kidnapper found himself lifted off the ground when the Marine punched him with a heavy left hook and he bounced off the steel wall and landed on the ground The Marine quickly turned to Hunter, but found that William already had his weeping youngest son in his arms, his face buried in his chest as the elder brother looked up at him expectantly, his face bleeding from a cut across his face, a cut that looked deep enough to leave a _scar_. Bad enough those Empyrean fucks had abducted his kids, they had to hurt them. They _hurt_ his children. _HIS_ children.

The Marine's rage took over. Seemingly forgetting that his children were a few feet away he rounded on the kidnapper in a heartbeat. "NO NO WAI-!" the kidnapper wailed before he felt the butt end of the Marine's shotgun against his skull, breaking his jaw and knocking him back down on the ground. The kidnapper shielded his face with his arms only for the Marine to bring his foot down on his stomach causing him to double over on the floor and to take another shotgun butt to the head. Knocked senseless he was open for the Marine to continue beating him with the shotgun until blood was caking the walls and his skull split apart.

William watched this grisly spectacle, his father _punishing_ the man who had abducted him and his brother, beat them when they wouldn't agree to come with them to the Silvered Citadel and locked them in this dark hold for almost an entire day. He didn't watch with horror or in fear of his father – the kindest, gentlest man there is – being reduced to a berserker. He watched with fascination.

His parents did say that bad people deserved to be punished. And there were no worse people than the kind who would hurt his family.

(RWBY)

 **At Doom's Gate I:  
B.J. Blazkowicz III**

 _Semper Fidelis!  
(Always Loyal)  
_ _ **\- Motto of House Blazkowicz  
Noble House of D'Nur**_

(RWBY)

 **(Vale City Police Station, Hallway)  
(Present Day)**

Ruby hissed as she held the icepack against her leg, more from the cold than the pain that came from twisting it, barely getting away from a crashing Atlesian airship filled with the 'Possessed', or what Ruby referred as 'demon zombies'. She sniffled, prompting Yang whom was sitting in the chair next to her to wrap her arm around her shoulder and hold her even tighter to herself.

"You can let go of me now," Ruby said.

Yang shook her head, "Nope, nuh-uh. As long as I'm around, you're not leaving my sight. _Ever_."

Their whole group had been separated right after the Atlas medics managed to strip William of his armor and ushered him towards the hospital. Professor Goodwitch had ordered Team CFVY to return to Beacon Academy while the rest of them were instead taken to the police station. And here they were in the interrogation wing in the basement, waiting for their turn to be questioned by Goodwitch Specialist Schnee.

Ruby glimpsed at the Atlas Marine standing guard outside the door leading up the stairs toward the waiting room on ground level above them. She turned toward another Marine guarding the door into one of the interrogation rooms where she last saw Weiss being taken into, and one more Marine standing guard outside another room where Jaune had been taken in. She swore he had looked _terrified_ for a second, like they were back in that room filled with demon zombies chowing down on innocent Vale folk. Ruby felt her stomach doing flip-flops.

Taking a deep breathe she sighed loudly, "I hope William's ok?"

"He's in the hospital, why wouldn't he be ok?" Yang said. She pursed her lips, "Wonder what could have laid him low like that? He tears through Grimm and zombies like they were nothing and suddenly he's down for the count."

"I don't know," Ruby held her head in her eyes. "I just…I just worry…"

Yang looked at her curiously, _For a stranger?_

 _ **(Interrogation Room 1A)**_

Sitting down on a wooden chair at a table with the room light shining down on them Weiss nearly jumped when she heard that blonde shout at the Marine standing guard outside. Standing beside the door was Professor Goodwitch, having swapped her torn blouse for a plain white shirt that police had provided her, riding crop still in hand at the opposite end of the room was her sister Winter, her back turned to her as she examined the so-called Grimm Marine's weaponry and equipment, including pieces of the Praetor suit. "Eyes forward, Weiss."

Weiss grimaced, "I don't know what else to tell you, Winter. I just met Blazkowicz today. And before all that-"."

"You were the only one to escape transformation into one of those things. You just told me," Winter queried as she examined in her hand a blue-colored Marine _doll_ as part of a whole collection of other dolls of various other colors, each one playing the same low-quality tune whenever she picked one up. Her eyes formed rather contemptible slits as she stared at the doll, aware that Weiss stood up from her seat to try and look over her shoulder. _What kind of a narcissist collects toys of himself?_ she thought, her already poor opinion of Blazkowicz taking another hit. Putting the doll down with all the others she turned to her sister, who had already sat back down. "I could imagine how it felt to cut down to our former countrymen?"

Weiss swallowed, "I don't think 'former' is a strong enough word to describe the monsters they were twisted into." Their eyes sinking deep into their skull, their flesh melting and fusing with their clothing and their twisted faces snarling as they tore the flesh from those who hadn't turned came to mind. "It…it was horrible."

"And whatever was responsible could most likely be on its way to Atlas. Or anywhere else on Remnant!" Glynda pointed out. "This is…not like anything the Grimm have ever-"

"It's not the Grimm," Weiss cut in. "It's something worse." She frowned, "Why don't you ask Blazkowicz?"

"Yes," Glynda turned to Winter condescendingly. " _Why_ don't you?"

"I intend to question Miss Rose shortly about these _creatures_ shortly," Winter said. "As for William Joseph Blazkowicz III, as he so refers to himself, he will be kept sedated long enough for transport to Atlas-"

"That's not _up_ to you, Specialist Schnee," Glynda stated. "Professor Ozpin-"

"General Ironwood was adamant that the Grimm Marine be taken to a secured location and kept in a permanent state of physical and mental inactivity until it can be determined if his presence does not cause Grimm activity to escalate!" Winter hastily exclaimed. "There is nothing that Ozpin can say that will dissuade the General."

Weiss blinked, shocked, "What are you talking about?" She turned to Glynda, "I don't understand. What's Blazkowicz got to do with the Grimm attacking Vale?"

Glynda sighed into her palm, "We…believe that Blazkowicz's emotions triggered the Grimm's spike in aggression over the past 24 hours."

"That's impossible!" Weiss retorted. " _One_ person's negative emotions aren't strong enough to trigger _all_ the Grimm on a single continent!"

"That's enough, Weiss," Winter cut in. She turned around towards the dissembled Praetor suit pieces on the table. "Is there anything you'd like to add to the conversation?" Winter glared at the chest piece when she didn't get answer. "I know you can hear me, AI! Who created you and what purpose do you serve?"

"This is getting ridiculous," Glynda said. "Blazkowicz just needs to feel comfortable, and safe, enough to not set off another Grimm incursion and he will answer all your questions." She stepped right in Weiss' space. "And if the first person he sees is someone he trusts, such as Miss Rose, he won't give us anymore cause for concern."

Winter narrowed at her eyes at the professor. Winter called out towards the door, "Send in Miss Rose!"

"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed. "Why are you so-?"

"I'm surprised you're going out of your way for a brute who _manhandled_ you," Winter said, her sister flushing red in a combination of embarrassment and outrage. She threw in a smirk for good measure, "Like some princess that needed to be _carried_ out of a burning castle."

"I'm not!" Weiss shot back. "I believe putting someone in a coma is a poor reward for saving lives!" The Marine standing outside opened the door and beckoned Weiss to leave. Weiss huffed and stood up. "Is there a reason why you feel the need to act like _father_? Did Blazkowicz show you up somehow?

Winter stiffened, before pointing to the door, and sternly ordering her, "Out."

 **(Interrogation Room 2A)**

"The blade's still sharp."

Jaune was nervously twiddling his thumbs underneath the desk as he sat in the barely lit room, guard standing out the door while another stood beside him. He watched Sergeant Thomas Kelly draw the still bloody sword of Crocea Mors from the sheath and quietly look over the sword, the bald-headed Atlas Marine looking unimpressed by it. Jaune felt like he needed to say something. "It's…uh…my great-great-grandfather's back from the War." He smiled self-deprecatingly, "And I know it's…uh…not quite as flashy as a lot of other weapons-"

"How many of the shambling bastards did you hack down with this? It doesn't look like the blood's dulled the blade one bit," Kelly pointed out. He looked at Jaune sternly as he slammed the sword back into its sheathe and put it on the table. "Flashy or not, if you can get your hand around _anything_ you can kill a Grimm as long as you know how to use it. I trust you know your way around a sword?"

Jaune nodded, "Y-yes sir."

"Granted you answer my questions as truthfully as you can and if I decide if you're allowed to leave this room without the need for any scrutiny you'll be able to continue swinging it," Kelly added as he sat down at the opposite end of the table, sending a chill down Jaune's spine. "Now, you were saying?"

Jaune swallowed. "I…we were hiding from the Grimm when suddenly the airship crashed, heh…I thought we'd be flattened but we didn't. I-I told them I was going to see if anyone needed help. I found Ruby – that's the girl in the red dress I told you about - being attacked by zombies. _Zombies_ , imagine that?" Jaune chuckled nervously, immediately wilting underneath Kelly's humorless stare. "By the time I got back they were…were…" Jaune froze up and shivered when images of that cannibalistic orgy came to mind. "I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't. You left several people to be torn to shreds," Kelly silenced him, causing Jaune to flinch. His voice dripped with sarcasm as he continued, "You didn't think they would be set upon by _the previously unheard-of threat of the walking dead_. I thought part of a Huntsman's training was to be prepared for anything?"

"Uh…I'm not a Huntsman yet," Jaune replied, sheepishly. "There's a reason I came to Vale: To attend Beacon."

"Details. You-" Kelly could talk down to Jaune some more his scroll buzzed. Tapping his hands-free earpiece, he said gruffly, "Report."

" _Ozpin's just arrived at the station, sir. Should we prep Blazkowicz for transport?"_

"Do it!" Kelly shot back. He gritted his teeth, _Godsdammit_. He had been hoping that the airship crash on top of the Grimm attacks throughout Vale would have kept him busy long enough for him and Schnee to interrogate the people associated with the Grimm Marine. He turned to Jaune, "I'm done dressing you down, Arc. Do yourself a favor and go home. We don't need cowards _pretending_ how to be Huntsmen."

"What?" muttered Jaune, right before he felt the Marine standing beside him grab him by the arm and shove him towards the door. "Hey!"

 _ **(Hallway)**_

Ruby and Yang looked up to see Jaune stumble into the corridor. "Jaune," Ruby cried, happily.

"Hey," Jaune smiled back awkwardly. "You two haven't been grilled yet?" The door into the other interrogation room opened and Weiss stormed right out, very unhappy.

"Hey, you're name's Weiss, right?" Ruby asked. She cringed a bit as Weiss glared at her. "Did they say anything about William?"

"Only that he's going to be moved to Atlas and they're going to put him into what I am guessing will be a medically-induced coma while they're going to run tests on him like some lab animal," Weiss replied, heatedly.

"What, _nooooooo_ …" Ruby covered her mouth as she whined.

Yang glared, "That's bullshit."

"That's what I said," Weiss frowned. "Minus the _vulgarity_."

Yang snorted, "Funny."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ruby cried. "William doesn't deserve to have any of this happen to him?"

"I thought you barely knew him," Weiss pointed out. "Besides, Winter kept saying he's responsible for everything that's happened."

"How?" asked Ruby. "We spent a day travelling to Vale so there's no way he can cause any of this."

"Yeah, he took down that…what did he call it? _Possessed_ Huntsman and he was wiping the floor with us," Jaune stated. "He's cool by me."

Yang smiled, "Ditto."

"It doesn't matter. It's an Atlesian Military affair now," Weiss harrumphed. "Not like anything can change Winter's mind anyway."

"Yet you tried anyway," Yang said. She smiled teasingly, "For a guy _you_ barely knew that whisked you away out of a burning airship like a-"

Again, Weiss turned red which elicited a giggle from Ruby and she demanded, "How many people saw that _brute_ manhandle me?"

"Oh…GAH!" The Marines shoved right past Jaune as they stepped out into the hall and towards Room 1A. "Speaking of manhandling…!"

Kelly turned to Ruby and Yang, both girls looking up at him expectantly, the elder sister narrowing her eyes a bit as she held Ruby closer to herself protectively. _Wonderful_. _I never imagined STRQ's_ bastard _daughters getting mixed up in all this,_ Kelly thought bitterly.

"Can we help you?" Yang asked, already irritated that someone was staring at her sister visibly lost in thought, like he was plotting something.

"Ruby Rose? We need to talk about your friend Blazkowicz."

Ruby blinked, "Um…?"

"Not without me around," Yang declared. "FYI, we're a little concerned about-"

"What have you done with B.J.?" Ruby suddenly cut in.

Weiss looked outraged. Jaune visibly suppressed a chuckle and one of the Marines snickered as Kelly raised an eyebrow and Yang just straight up burst into laughter, _"B.J.,_ Miss Rose?"

"Yeah, you know? _Billy's_ another way to say William, his middle name his _Joseph_ , soooo…B.J.," Ruby explained innocently. All eyes on her, she could tell she had said the wrong thing, "Um…what?"

Managing to control herself Yang patted Ruby's shoulder, "Ruby you…just…just _wow_ …"

"You _dolt_!" Weiss exclaimed. "You honestly have no idea what you just _said_?"

"No, what's wrong with me calling William-?" Yang suddenly pulled Ruby close and whispered in her ear. Ruby flushed red with embarrassment, "Oh." She then looked disgusted, " _Ewwww_ …."

"Alright, enough!" Kelly exclaimed. "We'd interrogate Blazkowicz but we can't risk getting him angry and triggering _another_ Grimm incursion. "

Yang was no longer in good humor. "Say what?"

"Winter thinks Blazkowicz's emotions caused to the Grimm to go berserk," Weiss stated. "Implausible as it sounds."

"No way, that's-?" Ruby exclaimed, just as it occurred to her that they were attacked by Grimm _multiple_ times on the way to Vale, and they all seemed focused on William. "Uh…"

"You got that right," Yang said heatedly. She whirled on Kelly, "And there's no way you're questioning Ruby without _me_ around." She prodded him in the chest, "Me. Her older sister. Savvy?"

Kelly looked past Yang's shoulder, "You hearing this, Specialist?"

Winter was standing in Room 1A's doorway, hands behind her back, "Did I speak with an accent, Sergeant? I'm ready to question Ruby Rose now. Alone."

 _Only with that smug sense of Atlesian entitlement that's already starting to piss me off,_ Yang said in her head, levelling a glare at Winter as she got right up in her face, both Ember Celica clicking and rattling the shells they carried, "We got nothing to say to you until we know William's ok and _not_ being delivered to some Atlas lab whacked out on coma-inducing drugs."

"What makes you think you have a choice?" Winter glared back, her patience all but ran out.

Jaune chuckled nervously when he thought he could feel the hostility thickening in the air, "Uh…"

"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed again. "What are you-?"

"Specialist," Glynda approached Winter. "Perhaps we should wait for Professor Ozpin to clear the air around here." She frowned, "Obviously whatever grudge you have against Blazkowicz is affecting your judgement."

"I do not have a-!" Winter fired back, before catching herself and inhaling deeply. "I have orders. And my orders are to find out the first thing about any enemy of the Kingdom of Atlas."

"Tsk tsk …Ironwood is quick to judge our new arrival." All eyes turned towards the doorway leading upstairs, and a well-dressed, silver-haired man wear small glasses and holding a cane with both hands. He smiled, "I might have to have few words with him."

Glynda smiled, "Professor Ozpin."

 _Wait, that's Ozpin?_ Weiss thought, eyes widened.

Ruby smiled. Yang sighed inwardly, _Oh, lucky us._

Ozpin directed his gaze at Ruby, "But first, perhaps I should have a few words regarding this young lady's friend."

"Shit," Kelly muttered.

Winter looked crestfallen, _Damn it._

(RWBY)

 **(Vale City Hospital, Secured Ward)**

The sounds of a EKG monitor gave the Doom Slayer something to focus on as he clawed his way out of a thick haze of barbiturates, the kind used to induce comas, snarling as he forced his eyes open, the white ceiling above greeting him. His vision was blurry when he rolled his eyes to his right to see the saline drip in his arm, noticing that his captors were decent enough at least to clothe him in a thin light blue hospital shirt and pants. And they had properly treated and redressed that wound that bull fucker had landed on him.

William lifted his left arm, hearing a clink against steel. His eyes adjusted enough so that he could see that his was handcuffed to the bed. Both his wrists were handcuffed. He groaned.

 _For fuck's sake,_ he cursed exasperatedly in his head _._ William felt like he's spent most of his life chained to _something_. First time – lying in that goddamn sarcophagus for tens of thousands of years 'in suffering silence', which involved being bombarded with several eternities worth of fever dreams of watching his homeworld and everybody on it burn. Second time – the hospitality of another offshoot of humanity unlike the Terrans spent in a stasis pod, released by innocent-slaying Beastmen he had the pleasure of listening to their pathetic screams as he inflicted all sorts of inhumanities on them. Third and he swore the last time – here in what he guessed was Vale's hospital under military guard.

 _Screw_ this. He was the Unchained Predator. And as he tore his binds straight off the bed rails they shouldn't have settled for handcuffs. Reaching for the EKG wire tapped over his heart he paused, realizing he would most likely sound the alarm once it started flatlining. And he saw the three Knights left to personally guard him in the room pointing their blasters at him.

"Remain where you are or we will use force," the robots blurted.

"…" William smirked, tore the drip out of his arm and disconnected himself from the EKG.

 **(Hallway)**

The two Marines standing guard outside the door turned to see four more of their unit shadowing a mobile cryostasis unit that hovered towards them. One of the guards stepped in front of them, "We didn't get word. Order's come through?"

"Yeah, the sarge wants him in transit before Ozpin strongarms the General into keeping the soulless _freak_ in Vale." The Marines had their assault rifles primed. "Give him another dose and let's put him on ice." Suddenly they realized, "Hey, I thought Schnee ordered a guard on him at all times."

"Relax, that's what the Knights are for."

That Marine found himself eating his own words when door caved in under the weight of the Knight that was flung through it and skidding across the hallway, doctors, nurses and patients leaping out its way, sparks flying out of where it's head and both its arms should be.

"Combat positions!"

Rifles primed they entered into the room, their jaws nearly dropping in collective disbelief in seeing Blazkowicz with his left hand wrapped around a Knight's head smashing it against the wall. He turned toward the Marines, dropping the mangled droid to the ground where it went offline, not too far away from the other Knight that had its left arm in its blade configuration impaled threw its head. Smoke rose from the torn fabric of his hospital clothes and laser burns on his arms and chest, Blazkowicz looking like he was simply _ignoring_ the pain. Not bearing with it with teeth-clenched, just plain ignoring it.

"Put your hands up in your in the air right _now_!" one of the Marine exclaimed, ready to shoot him in between his eyes in case his aggression triggered the Grimm. "You're either leaving this building in cryo or in a body bag! Your choice!" Blazkowicz frowned and cracked his knuckles, before hooking his foot underneath the stool beside his bed and kicking it toward the Marine, hitting him in the forehead and knocking him flat on his ass back out in the hallwaay "FUCK! Drop him!" the Marine shouted in pain. "FUCKING DROP-"

"YAAAHHHH!" The Marines were all bowled over by a red blur that sent them all sliding down the hall, their rifles sliced in half and ending up in pieces all over the floor. Standing outside the door was a girl in a red dress wielding a scythe. "Leave William alone!" Ruby exclaimed. "He hasn't done anything to anyone!"

The Marine corporal groaned, "What the-?"

"Apologies, corporal?" the Marines looked up to see around, their rifles aimed at _Professor Ozpin_ calmly walking down the hall towards them, a coffee mug in hand. "With Specialist Schnee's cooperation, I believe I and Miss Rose here might be able to persuade our guest to come peaceably."

The corporal did a double-take between the Headmaster and the Reaper. "Let em' pass!" One bitter thought was in his mind, _Let the freaks talk this out._

Ozpin nodded towards them and stepped into the room, Blazkowicz's ruined shirt on the bed and his bare back turned to him as he ran his arm underneath the cold tap, obviously trying to alleviate the laser burn on his arm. He opened his mouth but no words came out when he found himself studying the runes tattooed on the small of young man's back; six of them from the top near his shoulder blades right down to near his buttocks of different shapes. The runes, and the _scars_ all over his muscled frame were enough for Ozpin to know that a great warrior was standing before him and was paying him no mind, like Ozpin was beneath his notice. But over the Slayer's should Ozpin could see that the Slayer was staring at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes a dull silver, and looked like he couldn't give a flake of dried marmite about him.

That was when Ozpin produced what he had been hiding behind his with his free hand: The Marine Doll modelled after his Praetor Suit. William paused when he saw Ozpin step over towards the bed and put the doll down on the bench beside it, triggering the low-quality sound clip. He turned around, Ozpin's mouth forming a thin line as saw even more scars on his arms and chest – all looking like he had being slashed, bitten and mauled to no end.

"William Joseph Blazkowicz III. Have I said your last name correctly?" Ozpin managed to find what he hoped were the right words, "Are you named after someone in your family?" He smiled, "Someone... _exceptional_ , maybe?"

"…" William mentally sighed. He looked like yet _another_ self-righteous prick trying to enthrall him. He turned his head toward the doorway to see Ruby. She blushed at the sight of him without a shirt.

Ruby saw that underneath the Praetor suit he was well built for his age, his physique comparable to those underground mixed martial artists types she read about in magazines, except none of them were as heavily scarred as William. "S…sorry…" Ruby squeaked as she pulled her hood over her head and turned around. "I'll just…stay out here…" William reached over for his shirt and put it back on, grunting lightly as the fabric brushed over his burns. Ruby looked over his shoulder to see that he was decent, and noticing Ozpin gesturing for her to join them, which she did so. "William, this is Professor Ozpin. He's the…uh…Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"I had just been having a rather interesting chat with Miss Rose," Ozpin said. "William raised an eyebrow when turned back to Ozpin. "That you are from _another_ world. A world called Argent D'Nur." He paused, realizing how _alien_ that sounded. He smiled, "Then let me be the first to _welcome_ you to Remnant. It's understandable if you are feeling any anxiety, that you find our world to be _different_ than where you are from."

 _No shit, asshole,_ William snorted. Already it was like meeting Samuel Hayden all over again.

William grunted when he felt his laser burns begin to flare up. Sensing that he was in discomfort Ozpin scanned the room before walking over towards a supply cabinet and removing a burn treatment kit, placing it on the bed right next to William. The Slayer rolled his eyes towards the kit. Opening it he saw burn ointment and rolling up his left sleeve he dolled some out and applied it to burn, before taking his shirt back off as he went about applying ointment to where those Knights had hit him with what he guessed were low-intensity beams. Not powerful enough to kill or seriously injure him but enough to leave a mark. After applying the ointment, he reached for the dressing.

"Hey, let me," Ruby shyly stepped forward, still blushing at the sight of him without a shirt with his muscles on full display. William paused briefly, she smiled when he handed her the gauze and she unrolled it, gently wrapping it around the burns on his arms, saving his chest for last. At the point William stopped her and did it himself, leaving Ruby to step back, still very red in the face. All the while Ozpin watched their interactions quietly, that William wasn't treating her with any kind of disdain that he was showing _him_ at the moment.

"It's good to see that there is _one_ person in this world you feel you can trust," Ozpin said, his tone slowly becoming serious. "I understand it must be big shock to find yourself on another world, and I can just by looking at your scars that you have fought in another war, only to find yourself in ours." Ozpin paused to allow everything that he just said to sink in. "I'm willing to discuss how we can continue fighting our respective wars," Ozpin smiled. "And how we can save this world. Not just from the Grimm that have existed for as long as our world has, but from the monsters that have also found themselves here."

"…"

"William?" Ruby's quiet tone was hopeful. "Say something."

"…" William blinked. He reached over and grabbed the Marineguy Doll off the bench. "My gear?"

Ozpin smiled. It would appear he had reached a dialogue with the _offworlder_.

 **(Lobby)**

Everyone had expected that the hospital's lobby would be absolutely packed with casualties stemming from the Grimm invasion, but surprisingly enough numbers weren't as high as Vale's authorities had anticipated with people having locked themselves indoors within their shelters. That is too say that didn't mean there weren't any deaths or injuries, as there were still plenty of people either being admitted for life-threatening injuries or their friends and relatives waiting around, desperate for good news on their loved ones.

Standing at the reception with a long line growing behind her Blake was starting to feel angry. "Alright one more time: What do you mean I can't see Fiona? I was the one who brought her here hours ago!"

"Only family are allowed to see her at the moment," the receptionist answered coolly, not looking away from her holo-screen.

"I…I just want to check on her, is all," pleaded Blake. "With everything that's happened-"

"VCPS is currently tracking down any known relatives she may have in the Kingdom. Unless you a blood relative or legal guardian visiting is restricted to family only."

"Well until they come I'm not going anywhere," Blake shot back.

"Waiting room is right over there," the receptionist pointed towards some unoccupied chairs, eyes still glued to her screen. "Please stand aside. Next."

Stepping as far away from reception as possible she slumped down on the nearest empty chair, mentally prepping herself for a long wait, though she knew that Beacon opened its doors in a few days and she would have to find some other place to stay until then. She noticed the blonde girl her age sitting next to her, a small smile on her face. "Yes?" Blake said.

"I heard all that," Yang said sympathetically. "That really sucks."

Blake frowned, "You were listening in?"

"Yeah, me and the whole room. It was kind of hard not to," Yang stated. "Things were starting to sound pretty heated."

Blake sighed, "Yeah."

For a while things they were both silent, content to just try and drown out the sounds of the waiting room; people arguing, doctors and nurses rushing to tend to anyone that had just been brought in from the carnage outside and their own troubled thoughts. Yang, that of her sister and her safety around that Grimm-slaying, zombie-stomping badass known as William J. Blazkowicz. For Blake, her deceased friend's daughter, and her enrolment at Beacon Academy and subsequent conversation with Professor Ozpin regarding herself and some unpleasant personal history

"So you're here to attend Beacon as well," Yang suddenly asked out of the blue. Blake was startled, feeling like her mind had just been read. She nodded, however. Chuckling mirthlessly, Yang joked, "No better time I guess, seeing we'll be fighting the walking dead now."

Blake swallowed uncomfortably as the Cathedral of the Two Brothers back in Marysville sprang to mind. She feigned ignorance however, "Was that what those things were?"

"According to my little sis Ruby."

Blake's eyes flew open, _Crap._ Turning her head toward the blonde she said, "Really?"

Yang pointed at her neck, "Nearly bit my neck out so I'm inclined to agree with her. Speaking of whom…RUBY!"

Yang stood up when Ruby emerged from behind the doors leading into the wards. Ruby's eyes lit up when she saw her sister, then she saw Blake, the dark-haired girl looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "BLAKE!" Ruby cried happily, running right past Yang and grasping Blake by the hands and started babbling, "OHTHANKGOSHYOUREOKMEANDWILLIAMWERESOWORRIEDHOWSFIONAISSHEOK?!"

"…uh…" Blake swallowed.

Getting over the initial shock of Ruby ignoring her, Yang spun around, "Wait, Ruby. You know each other?"

"Remember when I said men and William fought zombies in a church, _weellll_ it's so we can rescue Blake's friend's little girls," Ruby swallowed, that horrid image of the eldest daughter's slit throat coming to mind. "One of them at least."

There was no way Blake could run out of there without arousing any more suspicion, "What are you doing here?"

"To get William."

Blake showed concerned, "He's here as well? Is he ok?" Suddenly she saw a beefy-looking, broad-shouldered, heavily scarred young man who happened to be missing a part of his ear emerge from the wards dressed in hospital clothes under heavy escort from Atlas Marines, Professor Ozpin right beside him which did not go unnoticed by everyone in the waiting room. _Is that him? That's what he looks under that armor? A_ _human_ _?_ Their eyes met almost instantly, Blake feeling a little intimidated that he looked so well-built and imposing.

She blushed. He reminded her of the main characters out of one of her novels. Yang noticed and smiled, "He looks pretty _fine_ to me."

Blade didn't feel too sure about that. The scars on his face, the dull look in his silver-colored eyes and the way he carried himself like he didn't give a damn that he was surrounded by a heavily armed escort suggested he came from, and thrived, in a world of _hurt_. Just like a certain other someone she used to know. "Ms. Belladonna," Ozpin grabbed her attention with a smile. "Are you here to check up on Fiona?" She nodded. "Are you acquainted with Mr. Blazkowicz here?"

 _Blazkowicz?_ Blake thought, realizing that it was not name based on something like a flower or even a color. _What kind of name is that?_ Lost in her thought she barely noticed William walking right up to her. "Um…"

"Last guy didn't need _it_ anymore," William said quietly, as if finally answering her question back at the log cabin. Blake had almost forgotten about asking him, at sword point, about where he got that big chainsaw of his, added emphasis as he narrowed his eyes _knowingly_ at her, sending a chill right through her. He and his Marine escorts strolled right past her, leaving her a tad bit afraid.

That exchange didn't go unnoticed by Yang, "Didn't need _what_ anymore?"

"So you're attending Beacon too?" Ruby asked, hopefully. Blakde nodded, "Oh, that's awesome!" Realizing that William was being moved without she quickly added, "We'll talk later? I just to need…to…" she pointed at William before running after him. "Hey wait up!"

Blake turned to Yang, confused. "She's unusually calm for someone who…went through everything we did," she remarked, swallowing a bit as her mind wandered back to Marysville.

Yang appeared thoughtful, "I hope so." _Ruby's not_ that _resilient._ The blond turned toward the doors, flashing Blake another smile, "Blake, was it? Catch you around?"

"Y-yeah." Blake's thought slowly centered on William Joseph Blazkowicz III. She shuddered a bit. _That look on_ _his face_ _I swear it_ _was like being face to face with Adam again._

(RWBY)

 **(Vale City Police Station, Interrogation Room 1A)**

Though the Marine standing guard at each corner of the room had their rifles pointed at him, William felt more confidence in his mortality as he felt the armored plating of his Praetor suit pressurize and fit itself around his torso, flexing his hands and fingers and the bones creak underneath his gauntlets. Glancing down at the table, he saw the rest of his weapons was laid out and appeared untouched, except his heavier arms were still missing. Even those dumb Marineguy Dolls he had felt an impulse to collect throughout his adventure through the UAC Mars Facility, were all here. Wraiths help him, it had to have been narcissism behind his drive to collect each and every one of them.

"I'm _still_ missing a few things," William said.

"Let's start with your Artificial Intelligence, first," Glynda said stood in the corner of the room beside Ozpin whom was seated at the table in the center of the room. William turned around to face them, visibly annoyed that she had cut into his train of thought. "VEGA, was it?"

 **++Correct,++** VEGA spoke out loud from the speakers in the helmet that was on the table in front of Ozpin. _**++I was developed by the Union Aerospace Corporation to oversee the Mars Research Facility."**_

"Union Aerospace Corporation?" Ozpin questioned. "I've never heard of such a company."

 _ **++The UAC is an Earth-based multi-planetary conglomerate, primarily in the research, development and application of technology, space travel and alternate energy sources for commercial, military and civilian applications. ++**_ William snorted at that last part. _**++ Our largest and primary research facility is located on Mars.++**_

"Earth? Mars?" Ozpin's eyes lit up. "You mean…humanity exists on other worlds besides this one?"

"…" William felt unsure of what to say, noticing how skeptical Glynda appeared at the mention of humanity existing outside Remnant.

 _ **++It was previously thought that humanity existed from Earth, and the realm of Argent D'Nur, William Joseph Blackowicz III's homeworld,++**_ VEGA continued. _**++Though there is still debate on whether the ancient D'Nurian civilization were actually human-++**_ VEGA paused as everyone noticed William scowled at the accusation that his people weren't human. _**++ If knowledge of Remnant was known to the Terran public, the consequences would be considered far-reaching.++**_

"Same if the Kingdoms knew of this _Earth_ you just mentioned," Winter spoke up, making herself known as she stepped into the light from the dark corner of this room. "We have no idea if this offshoot humanity from this 'Earth' should be considered a security threat to Remnant."

 _ **++I assure you, Specialist Schnee, that if the Kingdoms of Remnant were to make contact with Earth's World Government that negotiations would be amiable. Terrans should be considered no different than Remnant humans in society, temperament, hopes and dreams,++**_ VEGA said reassuringly.

Winter frowned, "Funny how it's _now_ you decide to converse with us, AI."

 _ **++I was unable to determine if Atlas was benign in its attempt to forcibly remove my backup chip from the Praetor suit,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++Much less if they have the necessary level of hardware to effectively run my software.++**_

"If you must know Atlas is the most advanced kingdom on Remnant!" Winter retorted, offended. "And we have the right to judge if your continued existence can be considered 'benign'-"

"Calm down, Winter," Ozpin turned to her. "I believe VEGA is still _assessing_ Atlas. Correct?"

 _ **++Correct, Professor Ozpin,++**_ VEGA replied, addressing him by his title. That served to further infuriate Winter, the AI having not paid her the same courtesy. _**++Militarism is clearly Atlas' most defining trait.++**_

"Back to the matter at hand," Glynda said. "What about D'Nurians? If that's how one refers to _your_ people; are they open to 'amiable negotiations."

"…" William downcast his eyes, right before he looked Ozpin straight in the eye. "My people are _dead_." He placed his hands flat on the table. "And everyone on this rock's next."

Ozpin blinked, "What do you mean 'next'?"

 _ **++The presence of a cult group in Marysville indicates Remnant is facing a possible Widescale Untethered Cross Dimensional Event on a planetary scale - otherwise known as a Demon Invasion – in the near future.++**_

Alarmed, Glynda cried, "W-what?"

"What do you mean 'demon invasion'?!" Winter exclaimed. "What happened in Marysville?!

 _ **++The demonic entities originating from the dimension that has been classified as Hell – alternate terms 'shadow realms' and 'Doom', responsible for the destruction of Argent D'Nur and the aborted incursion on Mars were sighted in Marysville,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++Hell's collective forces known as the Slaves of Doom may be attempting to establish a foothold, and we along with Ruby Rose may have encountered their herald in Marysville's cathedral known as Deag Grav.++**_

"…Deag Grav?" Ozpin looked like he was a genuine loss for words, while Glynda and Winter looked visibly unsettled. "Hell," Ozpin repeated the word to himself, feeling overwhelmingly incredulous in trying to comprehend the word in itself. "When you say 'Hell', are you referring to-?"

"The kind that _exists_ ," William sharply interrupted him. "Pure _evil_."

 _ **++An alternate dimension discovered through study of Martian ruins on Mars by the UAC.++**_

An uncomfortable silence followed. "I've…I've gone over Team CFVY's mission report. The investigators sent to Marysville a couple of hours ago reported…disturbing things discovered beneath the cathedral. Things that shouldn't even be possible." Ozpin looked straight at William. "You said 'Hell's invasion on Mars was aborted."

" _I_ stopped them," William said. "And I got sent here."

"By who?"

 _ **++Director Samuel Hayden considered Blazkowicz a threat to further UAC sanctioned research and was sent here via interdimensional teleportation,++**_ VEGA answered.

"Teleportation?" Winter scoffed.

Ozpin sighed, "Before we continued, I must ask if you have any proof on what you have just told us." He looked apologetic, "This world is already facing a great threat that is the Grimm and…I would be relieved if what you said wasn't true."

"…" William stared blankly at Ozpin. "VEGA?"

 _ **++Are you in possession of a wireless computation device, Professor Ozpin?"**_

"My scroll?" Ozpin produced his scroll, placing it on the table. William took hold of it, the device immediately waking itself from standby mode.

 _ **++Uploading Codex and other relevant files to wireless device.++**_

Ozpin saw a loading screen appear…

 _Downloading Files…  
10%...  
20%...  
45%...  
65%...  
90%...  
100%..._

 _ **++Upload complete. Please take a moment to review UAC files – ++**_

"VEGA?" William growled, dropping the scroll back on the table. Ozpin retrieved his scroll, noticing the UAC CODEX App and opened it, bringing up the following categories: ENVIRONMENTS, DATABASE, UAC PERSONNEL, WEAPONS, MONSTERS, ARTIFACTS. Ozpin arched an eyebrow and selected 'MONSTERS' and his screen was bombarded by disturbing images of the demons, each one with a different identifying tag underneath it. Glynda felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of the 'Possessed' and its entry…

 **UAC REPORT FILE: GASWST6U**

 _The Possessed are created in a Lazarus Wave event, a phenomenon first discovered by Dr. Olivia Pierce during her Lazarus Project. While most victims exposed to Argent biowaves will expire without further effect, some subjects will absorb traces of Argent Energy and enter a state of posthumous vigor. Despite necrosis on the internal organs (with the exception of the brain), the victim continues to animate and exhibit a low order of sentience for weeks or even months after clinical death. Posthumous brain activity in the Possessed is limited to instinctive behavior. The Possessed are known to be territorial when confronted by the living. When isolated, they will often enter a dormant state for extended periods of time. They will stand, unmoving, for days or weeks at a time until presented with a live food source, or threatened by a predator._

Ozpin looked over the names of the other creatures' entries. He turned back to William, "How long have you been fighting _them_?"

"Not long enough," William replied bluntly.

"'Not long enough?'" Ozpin blinked. "How old are you, exactly?"

William's eyebrows raised involuntarily, a brief but genuine look of confusion crossed his features before he shook his head and downcast his eyes in thought. "Lost track." He lifted his elbows off the table and rested his hands on his knees. "Must've been…seventeen or eighteen when I stepped into Hell."

"And how long ago was 'seventeen or eighteen?'"

William groused. "Maybe _thousands_ of years ago."

Now Winter couldn't hold back a scornful chuckle, before scowling at William, "Your stretching the limits of what's believable, Blazkowicz. You mean to say you're older than the recorded history of Remnant itself? She heard her scroll ring and she checked it, realizing that the Codex was being uploaded to her scroll. "What the?"

 _ **++Check Database files 'THE SLAYER'S TESTAMENT' and 'DOOM MARINE' for relevant information,++**_ VEGA stated. Glynda's own scroll rang as well, indicating she had received a digital copy of the Codex as well. _**++Using your scrolls as proxies I now have access to**_ _ **Remnant's historical archives via your Cross Continental Transmit System.++**_

Glynda was alarmed, "What?!"

"Y-you just hacked the CCT?!" Winter cried, in disbelief that their most secured means of communication had been breached so easily, so quickly, using only a simple scroll. What was this AI? How powerful was it? What twisted mind could have created it? Her eyes widened when she realized, "You just _admitted_ you hacked the CCT?!"

 _ **++Consider it a demonstration of how far I will go to ensure humanity's survival. I am now aware of the existence of the four Kingdoms – Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, Atlas – on the continents of Sanus, Anima and Solitas respectively, that have survived a lifetime of conflict, in defense of liberties Earth admittingly takes for granted. I also am aware that the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant faces horror on a daily basis comparable to what Blazkowicz had just faced seemingly a few days prior,++**_ VEGA paused, allowing everything that had just happened, under his direction, sink in.

"And you just freely gave us each a copy of this compiled data because?" Ozpin asked.

 _ **++In the interests of preservation, co-operation benefits mutual goals,++**_ VEGA replied. _**++In this case: Survival of the species.++**_

All eyes turned on William, who shrugged and said, "What he said."

Ozpin sighed, pulling his eyes away from his scroll, "This…is a lot to take in. What interest would this Hell have in our world?"

"Cause' we're all fuckin' heathens," William said.

Glynda felt a chill at the mention of that word, "Heathens?"

 _ **++The term 'heathens' were applied to the humans of Argent D'Nur by denizens of Hell, presumably within a religious context as the apparent center of demonic worship is the mysterious, yet-to-be-encountered Dark Lord of the Fourth Age,++**_ VEGA explained further. _**++We must assume the term can be applied to humanity at large.++**_

 _Dark Lord? Sounds familiar,_ Ozpin thought bitterly. "And the fates of those who won't exalt this Dark Lord?" William looked at him as if he had just asked a stupid question. "I see."

Winter did a doubletake between Ozpin and William, in disbelief that he was entertaining what Blazkowicz was saying, "You can't seriously believe what we're hearing is _real_?"

 _ **++It IS real, Specialist Schnee,++**_ VEGA said. _**++And I strongly recommend you mobilize the Kingdoms right away to deal with the probable demonic threat.++**_

"How we can trust the word of an unshackled artificial intelligence?" Weiss argued. "Ozpin, you have to let Atlas take possession of it and Blazkowicz-"

"The facility you were holding William, it was intended to study him was it now?" Ozpin tapped his scroll, bringing up a file report on the facility located in the abandoned mine. He turned to William, "I think you should know Atlas did manage to find one survivor," Ozpin said. "Dr. Lucy Catrice, 'behavioral therapist' her occupation I believe it was."

William blinked, _'Behavioral Therapist?' What, they brought in a shrink to analyze me in case they decided to thaw me out?_

"She said you saved her life," continued Ozpin. He turned to Winter, "What use is a behavioral therapist for someone meant to be kept in permanent stasis? And only his heavier, technologically complex armaments were moved to Atlas for further study and his not his armor and more conventional weapons." He arched an eyebrow. "You intended to wake him at some point and rearm him?"

Winter swallowed, "It was…in the event the Atlas Council decided if Subject DN-SIL could be used as an asset in service to the military." She had the feeling William didn't like being talked about like he wasn't sitting across from the table and glaring at them, so she addressed him. "General Ironwood noted your prowess against the Grimm…and the White Fang."

 **++White Fang. Faunus terrorist group charged with crimes with humanity including murder, theft, kidnapping and sedition against the kingdoms,++** VEGA rattled off.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "And in the words of the investigators that there wasn't 'much left' of all the White Fang you killed." Glynda paled a bit at the surveillance image of William discharging his shotgun into the face of a White Fang at point blank range, the bodies of other White Fang scattered all over the ground in various states of bodily mutilation. Himself unfazed by this graphic violence Ozpin put his scroll down, "By those words I'll assume you-"

"Ripped em' to shreds," William interjected. "I saw dead innocents so I killed the beastly-eared _fucks_." He rolled his eyes at Glynda, her looking at him with disapproval towards his choice of language towards Ozpin.

 _Innocents?_ Glynda thought. _So_ _he's able to tell the difference? That's something at least._

"You don't appear to be surprised by the existence of the Faunus," Ozpin stated. "Do they exist where you come from?

"…" William stared straight into Ozpin's eyes. "They're treated no different _here_."

"The Faunus aren't held in high esteem back where you come from?"

"After nearly wiping out humanity at the dawn of creation?" William crossed his arms. "Nope." William cracked his neck and leaned back in his seat. "They never forgot their place."

Glynda scowled, "Their 'place'?"

"Animals raised on two feet the old gods to 'punish' humanity," William explained. "They should be grateful the Wraiths ordered their worthless lives spared. Or so the history texts go."

"Do you believe your history?"

"Yeah."

Ozpin clasped his hand together, resting his shoulder on the table. "Do you hold any prejudice towards the Beastmen?"

"No."

Glynda and Winter looked surprised. He just spoke about the Faunus like he didn't give a damn about them, and yet he stated he hold no prejudice towards them. "And what about the Faunus on Remnant?" Glynda pressed him.

"…" William leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Apart for the ears, they ain't any different than normal people." The bones in his left hand cracked as he made a fist. "Any of em' come at me, I put em' down. Hard." He relaxed his hand placed it flat on the table. "White Fang's another bunch of fools waitiin' to die."

 _Uh…the way he talks,_ Glynda grimaced. _Sounds like he's trying as hard as possible to convey whatever he needs to say and be done with it, or he just doesn't care about how one should speak properly._ She wrinkled her nose in distaste. _And he sounds like he hasn't spoken in…ever._

Ozpin cleared his throat, "It's…not that simple. Here, Huntsman and Huntresses pride themselves on safeguarding the world, to protect the innocent, to limit themselves when the situation calls for it, not to engage in wanton bloodshed that would only bring their character and motivations into question," Ozpin said. "Don't you?"

"Tried. Didn't work out," William replied. "In the end the weak died, the strong survived." William paused, "Till' it was just _me_."

Ozpin shivered a bit. That sounded _way_ too familiar. "And you've been fighting these demons ever since?" he asked, piecing everything together. "Why, though? For justice? Revenge? Making sure Hell cannot spread its domain any further than it already has?

William blinked, "There a difference?"

"And where did you learn to fight?"

Glynda's eyes widened in horror, dreading where this was going, _Oh, no._

William arched an eyebrow, "Silvered Citadel of Empyrean, outside the City of Argent."

"They taught you to fight with such brutality?"

"…"

"Did you graduate?"

"'Graduate'?" William stared blankly, confused at this new line questioning.

"You see, I'm the Headmaster at Beacon Academy, and besides having an eye for talent I agree with VEGA when he says co-operation furthers mutual goals. Therefore, would you consider-?"

"You cannot be serious!" Winter shouted, visibly losing her cool and startling William with the tone of her voice enough for him to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "You want him to enroll at Beacon? Absolutely out of the question!"

William looked amused, "…the fuck?" Him? Student? Fuck _that_.

"Not as a student," Ozpin stated firmly. "More in a _professional_ sense. If we are about to face an invasion by otherworldly forces unlike the Grimm we'll need every advantage, including someone who has fought them, who knows how to fight them." He looked at William, "In the interests of security, if you agree to remain within the limits of Beacon Academy and Vale City I will do everything in my power to assist you in tracking down this 'Deag Grav.' Resources including weaponry, Dust and transportation will be made available to you." Winter was about to voice her disapproval again when Ozpin suddenly turned to her, "Consider this a compromise. If General Ironwood is so concerned about Blazkowicz raising havoc wherever he goes he can rely on me to…" He chose his next words carefully. "…point him in the appropriate direction."

Winter fired off, "He's still a prisoner of the Atlas Military and for the sake of kingdoms' security he should be turned over to us and his AI confiscated…"

"He was deprived of his basic human rights and held at a _black site_ , all evidence of which Atlas will no doubt disavow," Ozpin reminded her. "Including Blazkowicz."

"He's not a citizen of any of the kingdoms to that's a non-issue."

"Either way Atlas doesn't need **that** kind of embarrassment, especially Ironwood. Does it?"

Winter internally panicked, _Shit._ She calmed herself down and responded, desperate, "The General won't agree to any of this."

"I'll mention it to him once he raises the issue with me," Ozpin got up from his chair. "I understand your misgivings, Winter. I don't share them, but I understand. Your sister will be a lot safer and better off if Blazkowicz remains in Vale for the time being."

Winter frowned and shook her head, "This is a mistake." She promptly stormed out of the room, the Marines following after her and leaving William alone with the two professors, the door slamming behind them.

" ..." William turned his gaze away from the door and back at Ozpin. "Gettin' tired of her talkin' like I wasn't sitting here anyway."

Ozpin nodded, "She's passionate about the protection of her kingdom, try not to hold that against her. Now." He stared down at him hopefully, "About everything I have just said."

"'Point me in the right direction?'" William drawled. "Already being used once."

"You have to know it was your emotions that drew the Grimm, Blazkoiwicz," Glynda said. "You were filled with so much rage that you endangered every human being in Vale. It should be impossible, but you proved it's not. So, you must understand what we must do to protect ourselves, especially from you."

"…" William remembered that VEGA mentioned that Grimm appeared to have been drawn by negative emotions, but it all sounded like bullshit. Just like the concept of Aura, the soul protecting the shell that is the body. "What are they doin' now?"

Ozpin sensed a hint of concern in his voice, "The Grimm? The last of them been driven out of the city, and they appear to be retreating back to their hovel throughout the Kingdom. This happened right after you passed out." He checked his scroll. "No further activity has been reported thus far, so that means-" Ozpin noticed William glaring at him. "You don't look happy, but it won't trigger another Grimm invasion."

"Bullshit," William muttered angrily. "Eveythin' about this world. Bullshit."

"But will you save it nonetheless?" Ozpin asked. "Will you help us?"

"…" William inhaled, sighing as he got up and walked over to the other table that had weapons and the Marine Guy dolls. Picking up the Keenguy he sat back down in front of Ozpin, putting the doll in the center of the table and pushed it towards him. Glynda tilted her head a bit in confusion of this interaction between the two of them.

Ozpin smiled, "I assume that's a yes?"

 **(Hallway)**

"So, what was it like seeing shirtless beefcake up close? Didn't you say dressed his laserburns?"

" _Yaannggggg_ …" Again, Ruby blushing and hoping nobody could hear them as Yang ribbed her endlessly as they sat out in the hallway, once again waiting for William and Ozpin to step out. She thought she heard Weiss' big sister yelling through the door, right before it flung open and she stormed out, followed by her squad of Marine in single-file. Winter spared Ruby a contemptible glance, causing the younger girl to shrink on herself, and Yang to wrap her arm around her shoulder and glare right back at her as she headed upstairs.

William stepped out of the room next, wearing what appeared to be a large, hooded poncho that managed to conceal his Praetor suit but leaving his armored arms and leg exposed. Getting over the initial bemusement of seeing him all covered up Ruby and Yang greeting him instantaneously, "William!" Ozpin followed close behind him. "Professor Ozpin?"

"I think everyone will be happy to know that Mr. Blazkowicz will remain in Vale for the time being," Ozpin said.

 _ **++Until we are able to determine the location of Deag Grav and why he has been summoned Remnant,++**_ VEGA added. _**++For the moment, we have secured asylum at Beacon Academy.++**_

"Deag Grav?" Yang growled. "He sounds like someone that really needs to die."

 _ **++It's death would be preferable.++**_

Yang cringed, _I'm never going to get used to having a computer talk out of this guy's armor._

Ruby smiled happily, "You mean you're attending Beacon as well?"

The girls were caught off guard when William snorted. "Not as a student," Ozpin interjected. "More as a, shall we say, _consultant_?"

"…sure, why not?" William shrugged, holding his helmet underneath his arm.

"Ms. Xiao Long, would be kind as to show Mr. Blazkowicz the closest Dust store?" Ozpin asked. "He's going to need supplies."

"Sure can, Professor," Yang grinned. "C'mon you two." She grabbed Ruby and Williams' hands and dragged them with her up the stairs as Ozpin and Glynda watched.

"Miss Rose and Xiao Long appear to have taken a liking to our new guest," Ozpin observed.

Glynda frowned, "All he's done since he's arrived here is slaughter White Fang and Grimm relentlessly and behave in contempt of authority, and all that somehow manages to earn him Ms. Rose and Ms. Xiao Long's attention."

"Well, when the person who saves their lives happens to have done those things then it's a given," Ozpin said. "And not just _those_ two either."

"You're referring to Ms. Belladonna and Schnee as well?" Glynda inquired. "If he was 'sent here' as VEGA claims, then this Union Aerospace Corporation somehow knows Remnant exists and could be gathering information on us." Her tone became serious, "What if otherworldly forces have been watching Remnant for who knows how long? The Grimm, these demons from a literal Hell and humans we never imagined exists on other worlds."

"It is unexpected, I'll admit," Ozpin said.

"'Unexpected?' That's your reaction to all of this?" Glynda waved her scroll at him. "We can trust Winter and Ironwood to keep this between the two of them for the sake of public order but if the existence of humanity living on other worlds and demons from literal, physical Hell becomes common knowledge…"

"I know, Glynda. Panic and mass hysteria," Ozpin nodded. "But then again once these demons do arrive in force, panic and mass hysteria is assured. Either way, the Grimm will be drawn to it, and it will be way worse than Williams' arrival."

Glynda crossed her arms. "…I don't trust him," she admitted worriedly. She scowled, "So far he's shown to me that he's nothing but a foul-mouthed, disrespectful, hateful butcher who doesn't care what people think of him and prefers to let an AI speak for him, the complete opposite of how a Huntsman should act – a product of a bloodthirsty, xenophobic warrior culture. And it was obvious the artificial intelligence was trying to manipulate us, probably at the behest of this UAC."

"I don't condone his behavior either, but if what this information VEGA's given us is valid, it's understandable given what's he's been through. As for VEGA and this Corporation, we will cross that bridge when we come to it." Ozpin looked at Glynda amusingly. "And the way you just phrased all that it sounds like you're determined to curb Williams' worst traits."

Glynda harrumphed. "If Beacon is going to be his base of operations for the time being, then it'll be for the good of the Academy. Who knows what influence he will have on the student body if he's permitted contact with them."

"Though I believe Miss Rose may be able to temper him." Ozpin said. "A smaller, more honest soul and an unbreakable force to shield it, in turn will remind him of whatever humanity he has left in him."

"You want to control him? Is that another reason why that girl was allowed to enroll at Beacon?" Glynda sighed, "You make it sound so easy."

Turning to his scroll he played a video clip of the Slayer tearing Reinhold's heart out in defense of Ruby. "Besides, it can't be coincidence that _two_ Silver Eyed Warriors arrive on our doorstop, one of whom happens to be from _another_ world and proof humanity will live on no matter what happens to us all on Remnant."

"What would you call it?" Glynda queried, skeptically.

"Providence."

Again, Glynda looked uncertain. _You're already fitting Blazkowicz somewhere in your grand design, are you?_ she didn't have the courage to say that out loud. _It won't end well, or at least it won't end the way you want it to._

(RWBY)

 _ **(From Dust Till Dawn, Vale)**_

"… _in other news the Grimm still remaining within Vale City's limits have finally been eradicated, and Grimm activity within the Kingdom is expected to drop considerably within the next few days. Experts are baffled as to what caused the spike of aggression within the Grimm, but many agree the crash of the Atlesian Airship Cloud-9 earlier this morning may be connected…"_

It was night time. The Shopkeeper grunted and turned the radio off as he swept the broken glass that used to the front windows of his store. He was thankful his store hadn't received the brunt of the Grimm attack on Vale, only the impact of the airship crashed that shattered his windows and a stiff nightly breeze blowing into his store was all he had to suffer.

"…and here we are." Not to mention he was in piece and able to serve customer, a familiar-looking blonde stepping into his store, a younger red-dressed girl and a facially-scarred giant in a poncho that was missing part of his ear following after her. "Hey, old man!"

The Shopkeeper smiled, "Hello, Ms. Xiao Long." He discarded the broom, "I didn't expect you to come by so late."

Yang cringed at the state of the store, "And I'm surprised you're even open."

"In case the Grimm come back, I just want to make sure people know where they can stock up on Dust." He turned to Ruby and William, "And who are your friends."

"Oh, this is my little sister Ruby," Yang grinned and threw an arm around Ruby, once again pushing her face against the side of her bust. "And this is…err…William J. Blazkowicz," She threw her other arm around William's abdomen, hugging both of them against her. "Jusssttt showing em' around town."

"…" William blinked, not knowing how to react to Yang's tendency towards the spontaneous.

Ruby however tried wriggling out of her grasp, "Please don't."

"Anyways, have fun you two," Yang slapped both on the back and stepped backward out of the door. "I've got business that need seeing to."

"Huh? But aren't you-?" Ruby started to protest before seeing Yang disappear out of sight. She pouted, crossed her arms and muttered, "Trying to make me make friends by myself again." She saw William staring down at her all narrow in the eyes and deadpan. "Uh…not that there's anything wrong with you."

"…" the Slayer turned to the Slayer. "Got ammo? Need to load up."

The Shopkeeper nodded, "Most of my stock is still intact. Forgive the mess." He stepped behind the counter, Ruby wandering off towards the back of the store where the magazines were kept. "What kind of ammunition were you after?"

"Bullets," William clarified. He reached underneath his poncho and produced his shotgun and heavy assault rifle, slamming them on the counter hard enough for the crystallized dust on display underneath to rattle. "Shells." He recalled how he sat those Nevermore on fire on their approach to Vale City. "And Dust."

The tone of William's voice caused the Shopkeeper to swallow a bit.

"Fire and Lightning Dust encased in the .50 metal cartridge, what you find in heavy-duty machine-guns and sniper rifles. Five-thousand rounds, each," William replied as he tapped on his assault rifle.

The Shopkeeper's eyes lit up in interest. "You want machine-gun rounds for an assault rifle?"

Williams narrowed his eyes seriously and pushed his shotgun forward, "Fire Dust, 12-gauge shotgun shell. Five-thousand." The Shopkeeper nodded and started writing it all down. "Explosive ammo?"

"Fire Dust is _already_ explosive if you use enough of it," the Shopkeeper said.

"Bullet enters the body and…" William emphasized with his hands making an explosion gesture.

Ruby put her magazine down. "Eww…William," she whined, sticking her tongue out. "Gross."

The Shopkeeper paled a bit, "Timed-explosive bullets? That type of ammunition was banned eighty years ago after the Great War ended. Everyone back then thought it was 'too cruel." He emphasized with air quotes.

William looked deflated, _Pussies._

"But if you're looking for _high_ explosive that you can use for the shotgun than there's more refined Fire Dust," the Shopkeeper divulged. "All the way from the Schnee Dust Company. Special order only and very expensive." He paused. "Like about fifteen-thousands rounds containing Fire and Lightning Dust for just _one_ person."

"…" William reached into his coat and produced the letter Ozpin had given him, the one containing a _blank check_. "Beacon's footing the tab."

"And its money well spent," Ruby chimed in.

The Shopkeeper produced a .50 bullet onto the counter. "The store only has about two-thousand and fifty left in stock. I can order in rest of it by the end of the week." William examined the bullet between his fingers, noticing the little glass window in the bullet obviously where he would be able to see the Dust that would fill the bullet. "Young man, you wouldn't happen to be the Armored Huntsman?" The Slayer put the bullet down and stared the Shopkeeper in the eye. "People kept talking about a man in armor fighting Grimm throughout Vale and killed another Huntsman driven mad by the airship crash."

"I'm no Huntsman, old timer" William simply replied without a hint of irony in his voice, his voice drowned out by the sound of the door opening again,.

The Shopkeeper felt his breath hitch in his throat when he recognized the orange-haired man whose bangs covered his right eye dressed in a red-lined white suit and black pants with black scarf, a grey scarf and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into it. He was accompanied by four other thuggish types in black suits, bowler hats and red-tinted glasses.

"Still open at night in spite of being in a very visible state of disrepair, you're something else old man. Orange Hair smiled. He stared at the back of William's head. "Hey, _colossus_ ," he tapped him on the shoulder with his cane, looking impatient. "Would you mind finishing up and taking it someplace else? I got some business that needs seeing to."

The Shopkeeper backed away from the counter as the men in black suit drew their handguns, "If you're going to rob me then just take all the money I have and leave."

William furrowed his brow. "Whoa whoa...jumping the gun a bit aren't we gramps?" Orange Hair inquired. "Speaking of which." He lifted his cane and pushed it against the back of William's head. "Nice guns. You here to start trouble as well?"

"…"

"I'll take your silence as a _no_. Now hand's away from the counter where I can see them," Bowler Hat said. "No ballistic discount for you." He turned to one of his henchmen, "Grab the du-"

"HEY! I forgot to mention there's-" Yang practically kicked the door opened when she unexpectedly returned to the store, and suddenly confront by four familiar looking guys in black suits and bowler hats covering another guy in a white suit and bowler hat. She grinned, " _Soooo_ …you guys looking fora _rematch,_ eh?!"

Orange Hair frowned, "And who are you supposed to-?"

"Aw, shit it's her" one of the thugs cried as he drew his short sword. "The bitch who trashed Junior's!"

Taking advantage of the robbers' lapse in focus William batted Orange Hair's cane away from his head, following up with a knee strike to his gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying out of the store and onto the road outside, spluttering and coughing as he clutched his gut. _D-did a sledgehammer just get pounded into my gut?_ his pained thoughts sounded loud enough that it felt like it hurt just to think. _Felt like it skipped past my Aura and went straight for the softer stuff…ow…_

Yang turned on the thug who drew the sword with a left hook to the face that sent him flying through a shelve and towards the Dust chutes tubes, catching the attention of Ruby who put her magazine dawn and pulled her headphones off, extending Crescent Rose and turning the corner to see William drive his left foot against another thug's leg, his Aura breaking underneath the weight of his bone and smashing bone, a splinter of piercing right out of skin of his leg and his pants, leaving him screaming in agony as he dropped to the ground clutching his shattered leg.

"Urghh!" Ruby cried and turned away, never seeing bone stick out of a man's leg before. "Oh…gosh!"

Neither did Yang, who also recoiled and covered her mouth as she tried to not retch out the sight, the third black-suited mook raising his handgun and pointing it straight at Yang's head. The Doom Slayer swung his armored leg straight at his back, again smashing through his Aura and breaking his back, the sound of spine breaking like a pack of uncooked spaghetti. The thug momentarily appeared to have been wrapped around his leg before he crumpled to the ground a curved, paralyzed, mewling heap. William grabbed his shotgun and the shells, managing to load one shell before the fourth thug lunged for him and grabbed the gun.

Ruby noticed Orange Hair stumbling toward back towards the store, his cane pointed at William with a pained, furious expression on his face. Ruby charged right past William, swinging Crescent Rose and knocking the white-suited thug back onto the street. William wrestled the shotgun out of the henchman's hand, clubbing him over the head with the stock before bringing the barrel between his eyes. Pulling the trigger, he found that a Fire Dust infused shotgun shell had the same effect as an incendiary 'dragon's breath' cartridge, the mook's head was reduced to a fine mist – skin, bone, brain – smeared all over the shop's displays and making for a nauseating display as the headless corpse was blown back against the magazine racks and slumped down to the floor.

The Slayer looked genuinely surprised at the power of the shotgun through refined Fire Dust, the smoke bellowing from the barrel that black and thick. "…whoa…" he muttered.

"Oh…oh _shit_...!" Yang covered her mouth, never seeing Fire Dust used _that_ way, against a target without Aura and on _actual human being._ Not Grimm, not Possessed but an actual person. "You just killed a guy…oh…this isn't _cool_ …!" She turned away from the sight of the dead body, only to see the two thugs William had essentially crippled writhing on the ground and in pain. She turned back to see William stepping out of the store through the window, putting his helmet with one hand and his shotgun other as he strode towards Ruby and the asshole in the Bowler Hat. "B.J.!"

(RWBY)

Roman Torchwick groaned. All he wanted to do was find a dust store that was still open at the night and regardless of a Grimm invasion and subsequent airship crash, not lose about a thousand lien on henchmen getting the crap beaten out of them by a hard-hitting, armored colossus and his two girlfriends and getting pummeled himself onto the street.

"Welp, this evening's been a bust," Roman muttered painfully, rolling around on his back to see William standing above him, pointing a shotgun down at him. He discharged the spent shell before inching the smoking barrel near Torchwick's head. "A _really_ big bust."

"William, w-what are you doing?" Ruby could see the killing intent all over his face. She smiled nervously, "We've taken him down so let's leave him for the police." William suddenly pulled the trigger, a click signaling that the gun was empty, prompting him to load the other shell he still had in hand into the firing chamber. "Um…William?"

"H-hey big guy," Roman smiled nervously as the Slayer reloaded the shotgun. "You should listen to your little red girlfriend. Y-you've beaten me, there's no need to…ARGHH!" he screamed in pain when William drove the still hot barrel of his shotgun into his forehead, the sound and smell of sizzling, burning flesh purveying the sense of all those presents. "OW, THAT HURT YOU BASTARD!"

"…" William's lips curled into an angry snarl, pushing the barrel hard against Torchwick's head, slamming it against the concrete, finger squeezing the trigger. Somehow, he had a gut feeling this guy was going to be a pain in the ass somewhere down the road so just to make sure, _another_ human gets to die tonight.

Torchwick's eyes widened, "Oh, shit…" _No quip. No smartass one-liner. He's really gonna do it…!_

"NO!" Ruby shouted and rushed toward William, arms stretched. "DON'T KILL HIM!" She just noticed the bullhead flying toward them and fireballs being thrown at them from the cabin. "LOOK OUT!" At double the speed and the impact of a cannonball she slammed into William, knocking him out of the fireballs path, firing the shotgun close to Torchwick's ear. Screaming in pain Torchwick the chance to get up and run from the store and down the street, clutching a hand to his burnt forehead, a loud ringing in his ears and blood dripping from his burst eardrums. He waved up to the bullhead, a mysterious figure near the side door kicking down a rung ladder for him.

"Ahhhh…ow…that godsdamned power armored ape!" he hissed angrily, unable to hear himself and knowing the burn on his forehead was going to leave a mark. He felt plasma whiz by his right ear as William drew his plasma pistol, leaping up to grab the ladder as both Slayer and the Reaper fired up at the aircraft. Torchwick disappeared into the cabin.

William gritted his teeth and held the trigger down as he prepared a charged shot, now aimed at the figure blanketed in shadows responsible for the fireballs. He could see its left glow yellow along with patterns running up its arms, and for a moment he felt his aim falter when he could _sense_ its power. A power he hadn't felt in thousands and thousands of years.

"…Autumn?"

He gnashed his teeth and fired at the mysterious figure, the shadowy figure shielding herself from the charged plasma and countering with a hail of fireballs that bared down on him, both him and Ruby leaping back to avoid them, William boosting upward to avoid several more shots aimed at them. They suddenly heard Yang bellowing out in might as she leapt out of the store and began unleashing her own shots at the bullhead from Ember Celica, realizing that the ground underneath her suddenly burst into flame and she wouldn't have time to dodge.

Until William boosted toward her, knocking her out of the way and shielding her with his body as the flames erupted underneath their feet, sending them flying down the street and roughly on the concrete. "OW!" Yang exclaimed, realizing that William had taken the brunt of that attack for her. "B.J.!" she exclaimed as she got up, already horrified at the idea of someone taking a blow meant for her when she knew she would be able to handle it. "Are you al-?"

"B.J?!" William exclaimed, already back on his feet, steam rising from his now superheated armor that didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. "You callin' me _that_?"

Yang smiled embarrassingly. "Meh, call if spur of the-"

"YANG! WILLIAM!" Ruby shouted at them before running after the bullhead as it tried to gain attitude. "LITTLE HELP!"

"C'mon, hardass! Try to keep up!" Yang exclaimed as she rocketed herself after her sister and the bullehead, William following close behind as he felt himself strain to catch up, finger on the trigger of his plasma pistol as he continued firing at the bullhead, cursing the fact his heavier weapons were still nowhere to be found and the ones he had on him were still dry. Eventually the bullhead ascended high enough out of the range of the weapons, leaving the trio to do nothing but watch it and its occupants get away.

"Ah, dang it," Ruby cried softly, kicking a pebble out of her way.

Still catching her breath Yang turned to William as he took his helmet off. She had to get it out of her system.

"You just _crippled_ those guys and killed one of them!" she yelled. "All you had to do was just knock them down, you didn't need to go _that_ far!"

"…" William didn't answer, just staring at the ground, sweat pouring down his face from the heat that was rising from his suit. He then looked up her like she was biggest idiot in the world. "You're kidding, right?"

Yang staggered backward away from in shock before firing back at him, "We don't kill _people_. We kill _monsters_!"

"Yang," Ruby shivered a bit from the harshness in her sister's tone. "

William snorted, "Somehow you're still alive?"

Yang's eyes blazed red as she rounded on the Doom Slayer, "What's supposed to mean?" She cried out before William practically slam his forehead right into hers, her Aura making sure she didn't even stagger back from the impact as they were literally eye to eye, her red orbs against his silvers. She was glaring angrily at him while he just appeared stoic.

"Anythin' else?" William calmly asked.

Not backing down Yang hissed, "Like _what_?"

"Hey…HEY!" Ruby exclaimed. "I think there's other things we need to worry about."

"…yep," William turned his head and spat on the pavement. "Autumn _,"_ he said _._ "Wraith-call!"

"Huh?" Yang said. " _Wraith_ -call?" _What's a 'Wraith?'_

"Autumn?" Ruby echoed her sister's bewilderment.

"Power of the Wraiths. And Hell consumed em' an infinity ago." His eyes suddenly widened when it dawned on him that the power of the elements could be wielded on this world. Wielded by individual beings the same way that Elemental Wraiths of Argent D'Nur had.

Yang swallowed, "W-what do you mean Hell?"

"Um…the place where those demon zombies came from," Ruby answered nervously. "William, do you know what's going on?"

There were originally _four_ Wraiths when Argent D'Nur fell, each one corresponding to a different season – Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. William remembered putting _three_ of them out of their misery, and the _Well_ that their power had been into for an eternity has been shut down in the process, cutting Hell off from their source of Argent energy. Yet, it turned out a solitary Wraith had managed to escape Hell's grasp. And now, this new world William found himself on had individuals that were able to wield the power of the seasons.

If they sent Deag Grav here first, then…

 _The Hell Priests' after a_ _new_ _power source,_ William gritted his teeth angrily. It would be the destruction of the City of Argent – the Silvered City, the corruption of the Wraiths and the Fall of D'Nur all over again. William was already putting pieces together, and many of them included that missing _fourth_ Wraith.

His path of perpetual torment continues, and sparing both Ruby and Yang a glance he was no longer alone…

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _And we've reached the beginning of Season 1. I had hoped to get this out before Season 5's premiere, and I never intended for this chapter to be this long, but I thought it best to set everything up for the rest of this arc, and probably the entire story._

 _I'll admit, it was hard trying to write Ozpin's interactions with the Doom Slayer and him subtly trying to fit William somewhere in his grand design. It was twice as hard making sure the Doom Slayer wasn't being railroaded into sticking around Beacon and to make him stick around for pragmatic reason, partly the reason why VEGA handled most of the negotiating, and because I wanted to keep William's dialogue as minimum as possible – he's not one for longwinded conversations. He's blunt and always to the point, because why should he waste time conversing when he should be killing something?_

 _Realistically, the Doom Slayer wouldn't be able to track down Deag Grav, much less the cult groups and any more possible demonic incursions without Beacon's resources, modes of reliable transportation and Ozpin's guarantee of protection from Atlas. And the Doom Slayer would be pragmatic enough to realize that._

 _I'm glad making the Doom Slayer a young man hasn't become (much of) an issue. And no, he has not been de-aged for the purposes of this story. Instead in this fic's reality he's the eldest son of the original Doomguy. Each of Team RWBY's upbringing is a recurring theme so that's going to be part of William's story as well._

 _Though I believe in DOOM 2016 proper he's the same guy from the classic games that somehow ended up on Argent D'Nur after defeating the Icon of Sin in Doom II. At least that's how I interpret the Doom Slayer's Testament. And speaking of Argent D'Nur I'm interested in developing it throughout the story through conversation and the occasional flashback. I reckon it was like a more HEAVY METAL version of Remnant, with Wraith-worshipping blood knights in power armor wielding big swords and laser rifles curb-stomping demons._

 _Another thing for those who keep mentioning: The Doom Slayer's armor has NOT been nerfed in this fic. The cast of RWBY relies on Aura for that added power behind their strikes, right? So I can imagine they would be able to at least stagger the Doomguy and if they hit him hard enough they could go as far as chip a bit off the suit, and the Grimm probably hit as hard as the demons as well. The Doom Slayer was picking up armor shards while on the Mars Base so we can assume he was constantly maintaining it throughout the entire game._

 _And for those wondering, no William/Doom Slayer will not develop a Semblance. He won't. He'll have to rely on his particular set of skills to keep up with the rest of the cast._

 _And in case anyone was wondering, William Joseph Blazkowicz II went by another name: Billy Blaze, aka_ _ **Commander Keen.**_ _Anyone remember him? I used to play the hell out of id Software's platformers when I was younger. That and between Doom and Quake id Software was practically my childhood and it's good to see they're making a comeback, even if it's without John Carmack, John Romero and the rest of the original founders of id._

 _And thanks for all your comments, favorites and follows. Again, I never expected this fic to the this popular. ^_^_


	9. At Doom's Gate II: The Infernal Beacon

_**v.1**_

* * *

 _ **(Headmaster's Office, Beacon Tower)  
(Beacon Academy, Vale)**_

 _ **(Past Midnight)**_

 _Some of you in a previous life may have held childish notions of God and the kingdom of heaven. This ugly representation of a spiritual nirvana was designed to control you, to placate your natural feelings of hate and rage, to subdue your realization of your place in this universe. By embracing science, you took the first steps towards freedom from these intellectual chains. By dedicating yourself to the development of Argent Energy, you cemented your place in the next age._

 _Now let us tell you about the real heaven._

 _The real kingdom of the gods is a place that you will never reach, and you should never wish to. No human will ever visit the sacred ground of Argent D'Nur, unless they are made a god by the dark lords. Humanity's only purpose, and reward, is to serve the ascension of the Imperatrix and protect the Crucible. You will be destroyed by the demons, while I will be made a god. My immortality is assured, while you will writhe in perpetual agony at the bottom of the darkest hole in Hell. You will be forgotten. Your life, your loved ones, your achievements and failures are nothing. A blank space on the canvas of time._

 _Thank you for your service. May you rot in Hell._

Glynda's arms were crossed and her hands were balled into fists, tightening with each passing second as she read Dr. Olivia Pierce's 'farewell' to her followers, projected in the middle of Ozpin's office from his scroll laid out on his desk. Head of the Biomechanical research and later head of the Lazarus Division of the Union Aerospace Corporation, or was it more like a cult? She couldn't tell the difference, and right now she never imagined she would ever feel hatred toward someone she had never met; someone willing to twist and bend her own colleagues to such an ungodly degree before discarding them all for the sake of immortality granted by demons beyond imagination.

Sitting at his Ozpin saw that she had gone silent, "Glynda?"

Glynda bowed her head, adjusting her glasses with a sight, "Apologies, I…this is all just unbelievable. The pits this woman would sink to, her selfishness, it's _inhuman_." She yawned, covering her mouth. "Excuse me."

Ozpin nodded, "By the end she singlehandedly turned the whole establishment into a cult. And _somehow_ all this went right under this Director Hayden's nose?" He frowned.

It was nearly one in the morning and both Ozpin and Glynda were still awake, going through the codex VEGA has provided the both of them. The AI had failed to mention that the information it provided was only related to the UAC Mars Facility, nothing about this Earth and whatever people, cultures, languages inhabited. But from going through nearly half of the codex they deduced that this Earth was a scientific, militaristic people on par, maybe even superior to the Kingdom of Atlas – only without a sense of morality, restraint or even empathy judging from how monstrous the UAC is in its research in attempting to harness Argent energy, siphoned from Hell itself as if it were Dust, and attempting to capture and weapon demons.

That and _seven_ -day work weeks, the monsters.

"If Argent D'Nur is the real kingdom of the gods, then what would that make Blazkowicz?" Glynda pointed out.

"If only that were the worst of it," Ozpin said. "We're not through half of what our 'guests' have given us."

"Yes," Glynda said, herself going through the MONSTER folder, disturbed that such twisted looking creatures that weren't Grimm could even exist. She felt a chill at the sight of all those claws, glowing eyes, flayed musculature, hatred and rage plastered all over their hideous, malformed faces; the ones that had the cybernetic implants disturbed Glynda the most, especially the ferocious 'Cyberdemon' "And Blazkowicz has fought these things for eons? And Earth recently attempted to weaponize them? Not even Atlas is _that_ reckless."

Ozpin's mouth formed a thin line as he poured himself another cup of coffee, "That we know of. We can trust James will keep this to himself but if the Atlas Council knew about a literal, physical Hell and this Argent energy Union Aerospace was siphoning-""

"From the Wraiths!" Glynda's voice involuntarily raised itself when she finally felt herself becoming overwhelmed by all this knowledge. She calmed down, "Sorry. These Wraiths they…they're so similar to the Maidens. And the demons drew their power from them after destroying Blazkowicz's homeworld." She rubbed her forehead and chuckled mirthlessly. "They've come for the Maidens."

"…they have," Ozpin quietly agreed. "Blazkowicz deprived them of their power and they're looking for an alternate source. If they find a way to arrive in force, they will most likely attack Beacon…to get to _her_."

Glynda looked grim, "And _whomever_ was responsible for Autumn's condition if her soul has indeed been halved." They heard Ozpin's terminal beep, Glynda's eyes dimming. "It's James, I'm sure of it."

Ozpin accepted the call, General Ironwood appearing on the holo-screen. His slightly haggard appearance including rings around his eyes and five o'clock indicated he hadn't gotten any sleep in a long while. What Ozpin actually expected, knowing when General had his mind set on something, doesn't put anything to rest, including himself, until he's seen it through. Which in this case – the Doom Slayer.

" _Ozpin,"_ Ironwood greeted him. _"You're still awake at this hour as well?"_

"Some rather troubling development tends to rob one of sleep, General," Ozpin acknowledged. "As I can clearly see."

Ironwood gave Ozpin a black look, _"I've just debriefed Winter and she's provided me with this codex and I've just finished reading it. You've made a mistake granting 'It' asylum. It needs be pacified, one way or another before it triggers another Grimm frenzy through Vale, possibly all Remnant.."_

Ozpin frowned, "I see Specialist Schnee neglected to mention we established a dialogue with _Him_? A human being from another world, and a silver-eyed one at that."

" _She told me everything, Ozpin,"_ Ironwood replied, glancing at Glynda as she stepped up behind Ozpin so that he could address her as well. _"You should have contacted me immediately before cajoling her into abandoning her mission-"_

"She was acting consistently hostile toward Blazkowicz and any information he provided regarding himself, wherever he came from and whatever conflict he had just walked away from and what's about to arrive on our doorstep," Ozpin pointed out. "And if I'm not mistaken you provided him the means, not to mention the arms, to escape from containment and had ordered Winter to retrieve him."

" _It was a mistake,"_ Ironwood argued. _"Seeing it in action against the Grimm I thought it would be valuable asset, be persuaded to surrender itself and willingly agree to join our cause. It attacking my soldiers proved that was a mistake, and I decided it would be best for everyone if was it just put in stasis at the black site until we were ready to make it either see reason and put him in permanent stasis."_

"Obviously _**He**_ didn't see it that way," Glynda said. "And now we find ourselves getting ready for another inevitable war."

" _How do we know if it's even real?"_ Ironwood demanded. _"For all we know it all could be false information to throw us off long enough for this 'Earth' to prepare for an invasion of Remnant."_

"And it happens to be very, _very_ detailed, finely catalogue 'false information'," Glynda said dryly. "How would you explain the walking dead that nearly devoured downtown Vale? That was not the Grimm at work."

Ozpin added, "We shouldn't worry about mankind existing outside Remnant at the moment. We need to-"

" _Do you have any idea how much will change if it becomes public knowledge that mankind exists on other worlds? How people would react when they realize humanity is_ not _in danger of dying out because of the Grimm?"_ Ironwood interjected, clearly showing signs of stress. _"I'm not just talking about the status quo, I'm talking about-"_

"That this Union Aerospace Corporation is possibly more advanced than the entire scientific division of the Kingdom of Atlas?" Ozpin answered, hands clasped together and leaning back in his chair. "You're afraid of how the Atlas Council will react that the kingdom they govern has been upstaged and no longer the pinnacle of human ingenuity? And what would happen in the event we somehow make contact with Earth?"

"…" Ironwood sighed. _"It'll mean war, Ozpin, Glynda. The council won't stand for it."_

"We're already at the _brink_ of war, General," Ozpin firmly said. "Right now, there may be peace between kingdoms but that will undoubtedly change soon, and not on account of _Her_. We need to make preparations in the event of what Blazkowicz's artificial intelligence referred to as a 'Widescale untethered cross dimensional event on a planetary scale' happens."

" _A planet-wide invasion, you mean?"_ Ironwood said. _"I'll…convince the council to mobilize all our standing forces, and I'll tell them it's to prepare in case of a Grimm frenzy like what happened in Vale and not because of a hypothetical invasion by demons from a fire-and-brimstone Hell."_ Ozpin paused and rubbed the back of his head, trying to stave off a headache. _"I'm taking your word for it, Ozpin."_

Ozpin nodded, "And I thank you for it, James. If there's a silver lining it's possible it may stall _Salem's_ plans for the time being if she's forced to deal with something possibly _worse_ than her."

" _Worse than Salem? I find that hard to fathom."_

"What should be done about the Maidens?" Glynda inquired. "We need to find the _other_ three. They're in danger now more than ever."

" _I'll put out a summons for the Winter Maiden,"_ Ironwood said. _"We need to alert Vacuo and Mistral. Again, in case of an imminent Grimm attack."_ Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose. _"There's going to be chaos, Ozpin, and the whole world's going to know it. There's no way around that."_

"And we will deal with it as we always have," Ozpin said. "Now, concerning Blazkowicz…"

Ironwood frowned, _"I still think letting it…_ _ **him**_ _…. loose around is a mistake, and we shouldn't have to walk eggshells around him. As long as he stands on Remnant's soil he should be acquiescing to whatever we demand of him. Even if he's the only things this 'Hell' fears."_

Glynda's eyebrows raised with interest as she went through her scroll, "Was that from some part of the codex we haven't read yet?"

" _Check under The Slayer's Testament,"_ Ironwood grimaced. _"I…I think a monster walks amongst us, worse than anything that could ever exist on Remnant. That said, I hope you know what you're doing, Ozpin."_ Bowing his head with exhaustion Ironwood got up from his seat and disappeared out of sight, ending the call.

Silence was shared between the two professors. Glynda cleared her throat before saying, "You didn't mention to him the similarities between these Elemental Wraiths of Argent D'Nur and the Four Maidens."

"He said he's read through the entire codex already, there was no need to repeat what we now already know," Ozpin replied. He leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers, "No doubt the comparing the roles of these Wraiths and the Maidens will be up for some very interesting discussion in the near future."

"And we didn't even bring up how Blazkowicz will react if he finds out about Autumn's whereabouts, her condition," Glynda said. "James is right, we shouldn't _have_ to be cautious around him. If he knew what we're keeping in the Vault underneath the school-"

"There's no telling how he would react," Ozpin nodded. "Then again, what would happen if we _did_ tell him? Ironwood's concern it warranted, but we need William. Not just for what he knows about our new enemy, but his fighting prowess is unlike anything we've ever seen. For now, until it's warranted we keep him in the dark about Amber." Glynda thought she heard uncertainty in Ozpin's voice, a minor slip in his usual confident attitude. "Schedule a meeting with the entire faculty first things this morning before Initiation," he stated firmly, Glynda immediately pushing buttons on her scroll. "Time willing the UAC Codex will be required reading for every Huntsman and Huntress student everywhere on Remnant."

Accessing his scroll, he pulled up the folder 'Slayer's Testament', the text projected in the center of his office…

 _In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood…_

(RWBY)

 **At Doom's Gate II:  
The Infernal Beacon**

 _When you kill, a part of your humanity ultimately dies. To kill without feeling guilt, however, one must separate oneself from one's humanity entirely – from their empathy, their compassion, to see their enemy as less than human. In doing so you make the ultimate sacrifice for mankind, in ensuring no one else has to bear the burden that comes with the gift the seraphim of the old gods bestowed upon our sacred bloodlines. The battlefield has no place for those who easily buckle upon the sight of other's lifeblood, and for their sake you must not tolerate them either.  
_ _ **\- Corrax Entry 1:5**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(En-route to Beacon Academy)**_

 _ **(Morning)**_

Yang had imagined herself hugging Ruby and squealing about how much she was happy that her little sister would be attending Beacon with her, calling her the bees knees and Ruby would protest feebly and mention that she had been bumped up a year like that was a bad thing, and then she would proceed to rib her for being easily embarrassed. Instead she yawned and just leaned against the wall beside Ruby, herself struggling to keep her eyes open. It looked she hadn't had a good night's sleep either, all that the bloodshed from yesterday doing wonders for either of them, mostly on account of William. The guy himself standing nearby with his hood pulled over his face and his helmet sitting beside his feet, arms crossed like he had nothing to worry about.

William grunted a bit when he felt his back ache. After being judged that his crippling and killing of those thugs last night was judged as being justifiable on the grounds of self-defence the bunks at the police station hadn't been to his liking so he had spent the night sleeping with his back against the wall, once again with his combat shotgun in his hands. He looked over at Ruby and Yang, noticing the darkened ring around their eyes and the way they slouched against the airship railings, obviously sleep deprived. And obviously bothered that he had beaten two thugs to a pulp and blown the head off the third one.

" _Sooooo_ …Beacon," Ruby forced a smile. "You and me. Same school. Together." She followed up with a weak cheer, " _Yaaaaay_ …"

"Yeah," Yang replied. "Can't wait." She looked over at William and the way he looked straight ahead at the far wall towards the other airship passengers. Memories of last night weren't easily forgotten – maimed thugs in black, one of whose head reduced to a charred splatter on the shop wall. Killing Grimm and zombies were one thing, she reasoned, but killing an actual living, _unpossessed_ person was going too far. And William looked the type of person who wouldn't think twice about going too far.

"Um, we're not going to start _avoiding_ him from now on, right?" asked Ruby, subtly double-taking between Yang and William. She chuckled sadly, "I mean, those guys were armed and _did_ try to kill us."

"He went too…" Yang began, voice raised. She quickly lowered her tone and continued, "All he had to do was just knock them out, he didn't need to break their spines or turn their heads into mist." She looked serious, "He's not the kind of guy we should hang around if he's going to be casual about doing evil _cr_ …stuff like that."

"Evil's stretching it, Yang," Ruby said, herself serious. "I think we're going to be taught how to fight other people as well, and…well…we can't always be able to just knock them out, right?"

Yang considered that, "…maybe." She glimpsed over at William, still leaning against the raining with arms crossed. "Answering your question: No, no cold shoulder we just…keep an eye out around him, is all."

"…" Ruby lowered her gaze. She smiled and pointed over him, "I'll just over there and make sure he doesn't think we're avoiding him." She abruptly turned on her heel and walked towards him with a big, slightly nervous smile on her face and wave. "Hey William."

"…" William glimpsed at her sharply, Ruby's smile vanishing in a heartbeat.

The Reaper swallowed and put on a façade of false cheer, "Boy, y'know I'm sure glad that we'll be attending Beacon toge-WHOOPS!" She accidentally kicked William's helmet away from him when she stepped up to him. Covering her mouth, she watched it roll across the cabin and whined, "Noooooooo…"

The helmet rolled until it came to a stop at the feet of a heaving Jaune Arc, stumbling all over from motion sickness. He stopped when he felt the helmet bump his foot, and he looked like he couldn't be any happier. "Oh…oh thank you…" Jaune looked up at the ceiling and quietly praised the heavens. "In my hour of need I-" And he realized what he was holding and he turned a bit paler. Seeing where it had rolled he thought Blazkowicz's intense glare was beginning to melt his head, and the proverbial heat caused Ruby to inch away from him. Feeling his breakfast about to come back up he gripped the helmet tightly with both hands, and _swallowed_ it all right back down doubling over coughing and splattering. He stumbled toward William and extended the helmet towards him. "I think this belongs to you," Jaune gasped out.

William snatched the helmet back and put it on. Jaune groaned and collapsed on the floor on his ass, feeling like his mouth and his chest were on fire.

"You're attending Beacon too, huh?" Jaune gasped out. He smiled weakly up at the now faceless Doom Slayer, "Small world."

"I wouldn't say 'attending'," Ruby said. "He's more like a…like a…" Ruby tapped her chin, "Uh…what's the word?"

"Mercenary? Consultant? Professional zombie slayer?" Yang chimed in.

Their attention was drawn towards the newsfeed on a nearby holo-projector broadcasting Roman Torchwick's mugshot, _"…three critically injured and one dead in a Dust store robbery, Roman Torchwick continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."_

" _Thank you Cyril,"_ Lisa Lavender of Vales News Network was next to appear. _"In other news: organizers of the planned Faunus Civil Rights Protests have agreed to postpone until next Tuesday. Originally scheduled for yesterday, Faunus civil rights workers have stated that this is out of respect for the victims of both the Grimm and the freak crash landing of Cloud-9…_

"Hey!" they turned to see a young adolescent girl approach them, dragging a travel case behind her. She pointed at William, "Aren't you the Huntsman that took down all those Grimm?"

"…" William realized he was drawing attention. "I…"

"Yeah, you are! The Grimm and the walking dead!" a boy exclaimed enthusiastically, now drawing the attention of everyone in the airship cabin, all of them now chatting excitedly and crowding around the Slayer, causing Ruby and Yang to back up against him. "You're attending Beacon?"

Finding himself backed against the window out of the blue by admirers, William felt strangely vulnerable. Yang could tell he didn't know how to react by his body language, patting him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll only get _worse_ once we land."

"…"

"What, _Blazkowicz_?" a familiar haughty voice cut through the air. William, Ruby and Yang saw that it was Weiss, hands on her hips and staring indignantly at William, multiple cases consisting of her luggage on a cart beside her. "What reason on Remnant would you want to go to Beacon? Don't you already know enough ways to kill things?" she huffed and turned her nose. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were."

Out the corner of her eye she saw William step forward toward her, the Slayer towering above her. "Nothin' wrong with that, _princess_."

Weiss' left eye involuntarily twitched at that comment.

( _ **Last Night)**_

" _Winter!" Weiss called out as she ran towards the bullhead, drawing the Marine's gazes past Winter as she boarded the aircraft, Kelly appearing indignant towards her holding them up. "You're leaving already?"_

 _The elder Schnee clenched her fists and sighed out her nose as she replied, "I sent my report back to General Ironwood. We've been recalled back to Atlas for debriefing and plans for future countermeasures against Blazkowicz if he ever found himself within Atlas." Winter looked over her shoulder at her younger sister, "And so should you."_

" _I can handle Blazkowicz," Weiss declared._

 _Winter frowned, "Weren't you defending him a few hours ago."_

" _I heard he just killed a person at some Dust store downtown," Weiss stated coldly. "There's killing monsters and then there's killing_ people _. That's crossing a line."_

" _No, it's not Weiss. That's part of our job," Winter indicated herself and the Marines, startling her sister with that cold reality. "And that's something you will have to deal with sometime in the future if things progress the way they." She boarded the bullhead and gave Weiss one last look before the doors closed along with some final words. "You haven't truly left_ Atlas _, Weiss."_

 _Weiss watched the bullhead ascended, shielding her face from the force from its lift up, Winter's last words to her replaying themselves in her mind, without any doubt referring to their father…_

 _ **(Now)**_

Weiss was literally snapped back to reality by William clicking his armored fingers in front of her face, startling her and causing her to stumble backward into her luggage, knocking over a chest filled with vials of Dust that were scattered all over the floor. "Whoa, watch it!" Ruby exclaimed as she went over to help her up.

"What was that for?!" Weiss shouted as she gripped Ruby's hands.

"You drifted off for a few seconds there," Jaune pointed out.

Yang smirked, "You weren't reminiscing, having a flashback or anything like that were you because that would be just dumb."

"Of course not!" Weiss exclaimed, tearing herself out of Ruby's grasp, causing her to appear dejected. She turned her glare at William, "I don't think Beacon's the place for you."

Yang narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "How do you figure, Prim-And-Proper?"

Ignoring to the brawler, an air of haughtiness now surrounding her Weiss went on, "Attending the prestigious institution that is a Huntsman Academy are for those that a-HEY!" Gasps went all around the cabin followed by laughter when William lightly flicked the tip of Weiss' nose. "Excuse _you_?!" Weiss exclaimed as she got right up in Williams' visor

Ruby covered her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter while Yang just chuckled and said, "Yeah, I was getting bored too."

"Do you have any idea who _I_ am?" Weiss cried, picking up a vial of Fire Dust and waving it in front of William/s visor. "Does _this_ ring any bells?"

"…" William snatched the vial out of Weiss' hand, catching her off guard with his speed, and tossed it in the air. "Volatile with a tendency to explode?" His answer left Weiss red in the face with anger and embarrassment. He opened his palm to catch the vial as it fell from midair. Instead it landed in the hands of Blade Belladonna, herself busy reading a book.

"I think the correct answer is she's Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of propellent in the world."

"…company?" William said. He remembered the shopkeeper from last night mentioning this Schnee Dust Company.

 _ **++The Schnee Dust Company is one of the largest producers and exporters of Dust on Remnant.,++**_ VEGA explained, only William being able to hear him. _ **++Based in the Kingdom of Atlas it was founded by Nicholas Schnee after the Great War in the former Kingdom of Mantle, now succeeded by Atlas, it is currently headed by his son-in-law Jacques Schnee. Weiss Schnee is currently next in line to inherit the company.++**_

"…" William sighed quietly enough. It looked like the SDC was Remnant's equivalent of the Union Aerospace Corporation. His first clue: The _son-in-law_ had taken over the company once Nicholas became worm food, and changed _his_ last name to Schnee. There's ambition right there. And his youngest daughter's attending a Huntsman Academy in Vale instead of Atlas, away from said father?

Yet another asshole running yet another planetary encompassing conglomerate.

Weiss smiled, "Finally, some recognition."

"The same company responsible for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," Blake added in a monotone, handing the vial back to William.

"Wha…? How dare…! The nerve…!"

Chuckles were heard from around the crowd, Ruby include. Williams snorted, _Figures_.

Weiss gritted her teeth, snatched the vial out of Blake's hand and rounded on William, "I've just about had enough of you, William Joseph Blazkowicz. To think I stood up for-" Weiss' eye slowly widened, mouth agape in fear as she stepped away from William and pointed a finger towards the window. "W-what is THAT?!"

"What's…WHOA!" Jaune exclaimed, his hand going for the hilt of Crocoa Mors.

"EEP!" Ruby extended Crescent Rose, Yang readied Ember Celica, Blake dropped her book and drew Gambol Shroud's blade.

Everyone else in the cabin gasped and scrambled to grab their weapons as William calmly turned around to see what was 'staring' at them all through the window, the towers of Beacon Academy slowly coming into view from behind it along with the airships already landing on the academy grounds. A floating sphere of burning red flame that appeared to be bringing out the color in Williams' dull silver eyes as they brightened to Ruby's level as he felt the energy radiating off the soul of the UI-Thranx demon. Ruby herself felt her hold on her weapon lessen when she suddenly felt drawn toward it, stepping forward toward the window only for Yang to grab her by the shoulder.

"What are you staring at?!" Yang shouted angrily. Seeing William was just looking at the sphere quietly she suddenly became afraid. "William?"

"Why…do I feel…weird around that thing?" Ruby quietly wondered. "Feels like I…wanna touch it…"

William blinked. The _UI-Thranx_ only go where they think their vengeance against Hell will take them. If their journey had taken them from Argent D'Nur to Mars to Remnant, following the trail of carnage the Doom Slayer left in his wake, then...

The Slayer lips upward into a snarl as he gritted his teeth. "Hey, snap out of it Blazkowicz!" Jaune cried, shaking William by the shoulder. "What's going on?!"

William tore his poncho off himself revealing the weapons he had been hiding underneath just as the windows blew out, knocking nearly everyone else off their feet from the wind pressure. Ear-splitting rumbling noises that sounded like horns pierced through the air as everyone onboard the airship screamed in panic and covered their ears, save for William; the Slayer standing there calmly and cracking his knuckles and arming himself with the combat shotgun and the heavy assault rifle, in both hands respectively as of Hell energy tore upwards into the sky from the roof of the amphitheater.

"VEGA…" William grounded out through clenched teeth.

 _ **++CRITICAL ALERT: Hell energy readings detected on Beacon Academy grounds. Potential demonic threat level: RED,++**_ VEGA declared urgently out loud. _**++All Huntsmen and Huntresses, prepare for imminent contact!++**_

Yang blinked, "The means more things are coming to kill us, right?"

William turned to Yang and tapped his helmet, "Tie your hair _up_."

"Excuse me?" Yang cried, already mad at the suggestion revolving around her own hair, what she considered the best thing about her physical appearance.

Everyone's attention was diverted upward to the ceiling as the sounds of screaming, cursing, gunfire, swords being drawn and other implements of destruction being extended were followed by a part of ceiling being caved in under the weight of a passenger that was _punched_ right through it and landing in front of Ruby a broken, pummeled, energy-signed corpse; her face twisted in agony and bewildered by the last thing she had seen before it had beaten her to death.

For it had been a _Hell Knight,_ the muscular gorilla-like demon dropping into the cabin from the ceiling and crushing the body underneath it's feet, towering above Ruby as it clenched its fists and ready to continue its onslaught, the Hell energy still radiating off it's back an indication that it had just teleported in from Hell itself. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" one of the passengers screamed, Ruby managing a scared whimper when she realized her shaking hand was slowly losing its grip on Crescent Rose at the sight of a flesh-and-blood monster that wasn't a Grimm that looked like the personification of evil itself. The Knight extended a meaty hand toward Ruby's head, and though she couldn't see any eyes on its enraged looking face she could somehow feel it looking right past her flesh and into soul.

 _ **RIP & TEAR  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST**_

William raised both his guns at the Hell Knight, but stopped himself from pulling the trigger when Yang roared and threw a mighty left hook that sent it keeling over and landing on its stomach. "Nothing and no one messes with my little sister!" Yang exclaim as she loaded Ember Celica. She saw William pointing his guns at it and shouted, "HE'S _**MINE**_!" the people behind her clearing out of her way as she launched herself at the Hell Knight and threw a straight jab, the Hell Knight got up and extended a meaty left hand. It roared in pain as she blew a hole through its palm, it's finger wrapping around her wrist and digging into her skin before lifting her off the ground. Yang howled as the Hell Knight grabbed her by the arm with its free hand and swung her into the wall, leaving a body-sized dent as her Aura held.

William unloaded on the Hell Knight's back, the Fire Dust infused ammunition scorching chunks of flesh off it as he rounded on the Doom Slayer, gathering Hell energy into it's still intact left hand for a megaton punch. Dropping his assault rifle his left hand was free to grip the forestock and discharge the spent shell, take aim and blast its left hand to piece, blood splattering all over himself. The Knight bellowed angrily and threw itself at the Slayer, not realizing that Yang had managed to pick herself up and swung a left hook against its left shoulder, spinning it around and leaving it open for her to unleash a hail of explosive punches that blew hole throughout its body, culminating in a devastating uppercut that detonated its head, splitting it in half from beneath the mandible of the jaw to the frontal part of the skull.

"…" William took a moment to observe how utterly demonic Yang herself looked, drenched in the Hell Knight's blood and the red in her eyes fading as she realized she was covered in the demonic blood, appearing momentarily horrified that she had killed a seemingly flesh and blood creature with such barbarity, right in front of her sister. William glimpsed out of the window to see the Berserk sphere had disappeared, replaced by the sight of another airship in flames and people on fire jumping out of it as fell out of the sky and crashing into Beacon's cliffside, the passengers all crying out in fright, a couple of them openly sobbing in terror.

"S-sis?!" Ruby shook her shoulder. "Snap out of it!" They all heard screaming from the cabin above them the sounds of loud, familiar screeching. William's chainsaw was already running when he changed weapons and ran towards the stairs leading upward. Ruby was shouting after him when she followed suit, Crescent Rose tripped tightly in her hands, "Hey wait for me!"

Yang got over her shock when she saw William follow after the Slayer. "Ru-? RUBY!" Wiping the blood off her face she was about to run after them, instead she turned toward the other prospective Beacon students. "Anyone else care to step up?"

"If it means using a bit of tact instead of just blindly running upstairs into _whatever_ these beasts are," Weiss calmly, glancing at the shattered windows with Myrtlenaster in hand.

"I'm all for it," Blake dissembled Gambol Shroud, stretching out the cord in between her gun blade.

Hesitant, Jaune raised his hand and cracked a small, nervous smile, "Hey, I'm game." Her nearly jumped when they all heard the frenzied beastly cries grow louder upstairs. "So… _we'll_ take upstairs and…err...the rest of you guys…" he trailed off awkwardly indicated the other Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training, "…clear out the…lower decks?"

"Y-yeah, we'll do that!" a would-be Huntsman called back, gripping his extendable glaive tightly followed by the other shell-shocked prospective students with their weapons.

(RWBY)

 _ **(A more diabolic Point of View…)**_

 _It_ didn't have a name. It was only an Imp, a mere slave, lower class, the dregs of Hell and only a rung above the heathen walking corpses of the Possessed and the Unwilling, humans from the realms Hell had consumed over an eternity of conquest and expansions across dimensions. So why would anyone bother with giving it a name? Names and titles were reserved only for those of worth: The knights, the Hell Priests, the barons and princes of the _Baalgar_ class– the nobility that answered only to the Dark Lord of the Fourth Age – they were each important enough to be given names and granted titles.

And the purpose of the nameless lower class, the Slaves of Doom, was only to serve. And _It_ was content with its lot in life, tearing the collapsible staff out of the hands of the human boy it had slashed to ribbons and beating the near-dead heathen's skull in hard enough to crack bone and finishing _IT_ off by driving the staff through its eye socket, silencing its animal cries amidst all the other human animals it's brethren were tearing apart, shattering their feeble transformable weaponry and painting this entire aircraft cabin with their blood.

It didn't care that it was spontaneously and without warning torn out of the comfort of Hell's darkest pits along with dozens of his brothers courtesy of the Hell Priest's magics and dropped on this pathetic rock infested with heathens. If it could serve, if it could satisfy that ingrained desire to kill, it was content. And picking up a heathen's severed up, it saw the owner stumble towards the cabin's exit clutching it's bleeding stump and threw it at the back of the human female's head hard enough to send her flying off her feet, eyes popping out of her skull and landing and into the arms of the _**Doom Slayer**_ as a shattered corpse.

"…"

 _It_ voided its bowels in horror as the Slayer's red-hooded companion quickly got over her shock at the bloodbath that was the 2nd deck cabin area drew her scythe and bellowing at the top of her lungs a shrill war cry she threw herself at it, slicing it's head clean off before it had the chance to focus it's Hell energy into its palms. The last thing it saw as it's head flew across the cabin was its brethren all shrieking, bearing their glowing palms as they each focused the power of Doom within themselves.

It's final thought though was it was sure it saw the human female had _silver_ eyes.

 _ **(…now back to our heroes…)**_

The first time she had seen a dead body, she had puked her guts out. The second time it was close to a hundred of them and they were mostly trying to eat her or were fleshy past decorating the catacombs, she broke down crying, sobbing, puking some more and begging for her father and sister, totally unprepared to face horrors that were not the Grimm but something possibly _worse_. Third time, the dead bodies were again walking around and trying to eat her, but with both William and her big sister by her side she had her game face on, that quirky confidence in herself as she fought back against the Possessed.

This time however, seeing these brown, agile-looking, spiky, orange-eyed monsters standing over the corpses of all these kids and would-be academy-goers with their blood and viscera all over themselves she felt _rage_. Hot enough to rush them screaming, swinging Crescent Rose and taking the head off the first one, watching it sail across the cabin over the heads of the other Imps. They were shrieking, either in fury or in fear of the red reaper and her partner happening to be the Doom Slayer himself.

Ruby was quickly dodging fireballs, her Aura feeling the heat off each of them in such close quarters. Gripping the rifle hammer of her sniper-scythe she fired back, the first bullet piecing through the chest of an Imp, out the other end and through the stomach of the one behind it, showering their friends with blood, bone and entrails. Swinging her scythe overhead she bisected another Imp right in half, spraying its blood on itself and sending its shrieking body flying against the door at the far end of the cabin leading up towards the airship's bridge.

Deciding Ruby was going to have all the fun William dropped the eyeless dead girl's corpse he magnetized his shotgun back onto his armor, both hands on his heavy assault rifle loaded with _Lightning_ Dust, eager to see what thunder-infused ammunition. Looking through the scope he let of a couple of .50 rounds that sailed past Ruby's head, hitting the shoulder and abdomen of two more Imps. The effects of Lightning Dust infused fifty caliber bullets were instantaneous, besides blowing chunks out of the demons the Dust what was left standing looked like they struck by thunder that visibly circulated through their bodies, launching them into convulsions as they froze in place, stunned. Ruby spared William a smirking glance before slicing them to pieces….

"WAAAHHHH!"

…and she yelped when she suddenly slipped on a puddle of blood and landed on her back, prompting to draw the chainsaw and rush forward as the Imps pounced on Ruby.

The second deck's windows of all sudden _exploded_ as Yang propelled herself out from the deck below them using Ember Celica and upward, blasting the Imps assailing Ruby to pieces with a series of rapid punches, dismemberment continuing to fly all over the passenger cabins and out the windows. Blake scaled the side of the airship and pulled herself up onto the second passenger cabin using the rope from Gambol Shroud, Weiss using her glyphs to levitate. Each of them felt a chill as they laid eyes upon twisted, vicious looking monsters that weren't Grimm, getting over themselves quickly enough to fight back.

Weiss summoned a shield that deflected three Imps as they hurled themselves at her, Blake filing them full of holes with her gun, quickly leaving a shadow clone to take the fireballs flung at her and she reappeared behind another Imp, holding her blade in a reverse grip and stabbing it through the neck, leaving it to gasp out loud and grip its neck as it started to choke on its own blood. Blake felt unsettled to no end as she watched it in it's death throes on the ground, blood spurting from the wound, quickly dodging another Imp's claws and stabbing it in the chest, it's blood spraying all over her clothing.

All the while William just kept back with his chainsaw still running, realizing that in such tight corner he could end up hitting these girls, girls functioning as a near cohesive unit – or team. As much as he wanted to see how well they Huntresses could hold themselves against the demons he had to step in, until suddenly Jaune Arc suddenly ran past him, Crocea Mors in in it's sword and shield form in his hands.

" _SORRYICOULDN'TCLIMBTHESIDEOFTHESHIPHADTOTAKETHELONGWAY_ … **LOOK OUT**!" Jaune was rattling out when he suddenly threw himself between Weiss and an Imp that tried to attack her from her blind side, pushing him against the railing in front of the shattered window and threatening to toss him over, Jaune struggling to keep his shield up and block its claws as it clawed viciously at him. "OWW!" Jaune howled in agony when it grip his shield and slammed it against the boy's head, knocking him down on his ass and would have burnt Jaune to a cinder in a heartbeat if William swung his chainsaw and sawed its head in two.

Ruby felt like she was about to slip again when she tried picking herself up off the blood-soaked floor. She felt herself about to fall over when William grabbed her by the hand and hoisted her back up. Her face, her hair, he clothes, all covered in demonic blood. The same for Weiss, Yang and Blake. For William, this is yet _another_ battle against the forces of Hel. For these girls, it was trial by fire – a _baptism_ in demonic blood. For Ruby Rose especially, a Silver Eyed Warrior Priestess staining her weapon with true demonic blood for the first time.

"…ow…" Jaune groaned as he picked himself up, nursing a bruise on his face. "That's was smarts." William blinked when he saw the bruise on his face. Shouldn't his Aura have protected him from physical harm. Jaune saw that William was staring at him. "What?" Everyone jolted when they felt the airship suddenly attempt to turn away from Beacon. "Whoa, what the-?"

"The ship's steering away from Beacon!" Weiss exclaimed.

Looking out the window they could see the red energy beam growing in intensity as it projected upward into the sky from the Amphitheatre. "Yeah, a ship full of Huntsmen and Huntresses, as if we're walking away from a fight against these freaks!" Yang declared. "We'll gonna make the pilots' land this…thing." She paused as William stepped up to the doors leading up into the airship's bridge and effortlessly prying them open with his hands. "…yeah."

William blinked when the first thing to greet him behind the door was a terrified female airship attendant pointing an energized scattergun in his face. Ruby saw her and called, "Hey, we're here to hel-" Th flight attendant screamed when saw the Huntresses and Hunter behind the hulking armored brute covered in blood, her finger tightening on the trigger. William quickly grabbed the barrel of the scattergun and jerked it upward as it discharged, the woman letting go of the gun and covering her ears, her drums feeling like they had just burst from firing a weapon in such a tight space.

"Idiot, we just killed the monsters attacking this ship!" Weiss exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes, "Which were responsible for butchering everyone on this deck!"

"S-sorry," the attendant cried. "The captain ordered the bridge door locked-!"

"And now's he going to take _us_ down there," Yang shouted. "We got ass to kick in Beacon!"

The attendant went white, "W-WHAT?!" William shoved right past her up the stairs. Dumbstruck she watched as Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake and Jaune followed. "W-we're going to be landing…in the middle of that hell zone?"

 _ **(Bridge, Airship)**_

 _ **(On Approach To Beacon Academy)**_

"…I say again, I'm diverting course and…wha…? _Who are…?!"_ The captain dropped the communicator when he saw 6'5 of heavily armed, power-armored brute step up onto the bridge accompanied by four heavily armed girls and one guy wearing armor over a hoodie, all soaked in blood. "What the you doing up here?!"

Looking out towards the academic institution that was Beacon, it's buildings and large towers including that massive one that seemed to reach upward towards the heavens, he noticed that they were _still_ intact with no visible damage. Either Hell hadn't arrived on Remnant in force or the Huntresses and Huntsmen were _that_ good they stopped the invasion minutes after happened. Unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Either way, he wasn't planning on missing the show. William's chainsaw was dripping blood all over the flight controls when he pointed towards Beacon's docking bay, "Take us _down_."

"Are you crazy, man?!" the captain shouted. "That's a slaughter going on down there!"

"Exactly. People down need our help," Ruby pleaded. "This is what we're trained for."

"Fighting Grimm not… _whatever_ these things are," Weiss muttered, momentarily panicked when she realized she was still covered in blood.

"Screw _that_!" the co-pilot exclaimed as he grabbed the grabbed the control tightly. "We're getting the _hell_ away from here as far as we-!" Both pilots backed way from the control as William unceremoniously put his boot through the controls, sparks flying and systems catching fire as the Slayer stomped on them, alarms blaring as the airship resumed it's course towards the Beacon's docking bays.

 _ **Warning! Ship control not responding. Auto-pilot engaged! Emergency docking procedure in progress!**_

"Blazkowicz!" Weiss exclaimed. "Are you insane?!"

"Uh…yeah, obviously he is!" Jaune cried.

"Hell's where _everyone's_ goin', like it or not," William said, the determined edge in his voice cowering the two pilots. Reactions from the other Huntresses were mixed: Yang grinned at his audacity, Blake appeared cautious, Ruby felt nervous being aboard an airship about to make an emergency landing in the middle of a warzone, Weiss raised an eyebrow, somewhat impressed at the Slayer's nerve and poor Jaune was finally convinced they were in the presence of an absolute madman.

They were jolted from their thoughts when William looked up to see something teleporting outside on the nose of the airship. At first glanced it looked like an Imp, only more muscular with tree small beady eyes and a bifurcated mandible. As it howled at everyone through the bridge windows it looked like it's face had split itself in half.

For the first time in _ever_ William thought he felt _surprised_ at the sight of the son-of-a-bitch demon species he thought he had _exterminated_ eons ago. "Prowler!" William loudly exclaimed, grabbing the captain and the co-pilot and shoving them down the stairs to join that flight attendant before opening up with his assault at the damn thing as the airship began its descent. The other crewmembers threw themselves to the ground the Prowler leapt across the width of the airship and smashed through the bridge windows and went straight for Blake where it batted her blade aside with its right hand as it wrapped its hand around her face and slamming her against the wall, her Aura the only that stopped her head from bursting apart like a melon, instead knocking her senseless. The Prowler growled angrily when it realized, and opted to just toss her winded body out the window and outside on the roof of the airship.

"BLAKE!" Ruby cried. She swung Crescent Rose at the demon. The Prowler lent back as the scythe skimmed past it's neck, it extended his hand and pushed the back of the scythe, throwing Ruby off-balance and leaving her open for a powerful knee strike to the gut, winding her and sending her flying up against the ceiling, bouncing right off it and smashing into one of the consoles on the bridge. William went for the super shotgun, the Prowler was quicker and swung it's fist up, hitting it from underneath and blowing a Fire Dust-assisted melting hole in the ceiling. It followed up by swinging its right leg into his rips and kicking him straight into Weiss, winding him and knocking the two of them down, leaving Yang to throw a punch aimed at its head which it countered by catching her wrist with it's left hand before slashing her vertically with its right claw, Hell-energized so that it pieced right through her Aura, tearing through her clothing, drawing blood and leaving a large cauterized wound that ran vertically from her left and just below her heart.

Yang's scream was horrible to hear, and it was enough for both Ruby and William to pick themselves up and hurl themselves at the Prowler, Ruby screaming with tears welling in her eyes as she saw her big sister stagger backward, her eyes bulging in disbelief that her Aura was still intact and yet she was wounded badly in spite of her _Semblance_ that was supposed to let her take tremendous amounts of damage, her back against a console and collapsing to the ground as she felt shock over being _wounded_ for the first time. The Prowler spun around and grabbed Ruby by the throat as William drew his fist back and threw a haymaker, his fist an inch away from Ruby's face, the Prowler using the wide-eyed girl as a shield.

"HEY! DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!" came Jaune's angry exclamation as he thrusted Crocoa Mors into the Prowler's side, immediately gleeful that he had drawn blood. The Prowler hissed more out of annoyance before slamming Ruby into him and jumping out the window and onto the roof of the airship after Blake. The Slayer chased right after it, vaulting through the window in time to see Blake shakenly trying to stand back up with Gambol Shroud's blade in one hand and handgun in the other as the Prowler advanced on her. Drawing his chainsaw, he ran right after it, it turning around to face him in time as he swung away, the Prowler leaping over the blade and landing behind William.

William brought his arm up to block its next slash, grabbing it's arm tightly long enough to Blake to hurl her blade with the rope attached at William, catching it in his free hand and stabbing the Prowler multiple times before driving the blade into it's neck. The Prowler gargled as it choked on its own blood, raising it's feet and pushing itself off the Doom Slayer's chest plating. Gripping the rope tightly Blake pulled and it sent it flying right back toward her. Loading a Fire Dust magazine into her gun, leaving a shadow clone that exploded right in the Prowler's face and sending it flying off the side of the airship a burning, charred husk that broke apart in midair as it fell into the ocean.

William felt surprised that he and Belladonna's team coordination felt spontaneous. Fact, past day or so he's had to fight alongside one poorly-dressed girl wielding oversized weapons after another and side by side have cut down monsters. For the first time in thousands upon thousands of years he wasn't alone in this war against Hell, that he wasn't walking the path of perpetual torment alone. The thought of which just made him angrythat his 'sacrifice' wasn't enough.

He turned to see Blake covering her mouth as she felt a concussion brewing, falling down to one knee and throwing up. William ran to her, eyes forward at the Hell beam still being broadcasted from Beacon. "VEGA?"

 _ **++ Moderate demonic activity detected on Academy grounds. This is nowhere near the numbers that assaulted the Mars facility,++**_ VEGA reported as William grabbed Blake by the hand and helped her up.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake said shakenly as she struggled to stand up straight in spite of the airship's slow descent toward Beacon's docks. "I-I think I have concussion…"

"No shit," William replied. _Just like the early days when the demons invaded D'Nur. They we're testin' our defenses. An' they're doin' the same thing right now._ Both William and Blake looked up to see another burning airship heading their way, as were the Imps leaping off of it and surrounded William and Blake when they landed, snarling and readying their fireball. Making sure to shield Blake as best he could with his body William quickly switched to dual-wielding the heavy assault rifle and combat shotgun again and went guns blazing just as the bridge's windowsill exploded.

And out stepped Yang, eyes red and Aura ablaze, the cauterized wound running down her chest no longer bothering her. "Semblance kicked in!" Yang declared, right before propelling herself forward with Ember Celica and threw an uppercut that sent the upper torso of the nearest Imp flying, lifting her right leg and levelling a kick upside another charging Imp's head, knocking teeth right out of it and sent it flying off the airship. Weiss was the next to follow, Myrtlenaster at the ready and already dodging Imp claws, slashing their wrists and legs with her saber, blood spraying from the wounds before running each of them through. The Dust chamber in her weapon switched to Ice as she froze two more Imps, letting out a cry of might as she summoned energy blasts with her glyphs and shattering them apart. Ruby followed suit, blasting open the bridge ceiling and launching herself into the sky with Crescent Rose, changing it into it's scythe configuration and slicing Imps to pieces as they leapt up at her as she came back down and landing between William and Yang as they along with Weiss formed a defensive circle around Blake. Jaune followed, clumsily climbing out of the window, sword and shield in hand and making her way toward the other, quietly whimpering to himself as he kept his shield up which turned to fall on girlish screams as the fireballs were flung at him and struck his shield, William providing cover fire for him as he joined the circle.

"It's raining blood!" Yang smirked as the red stuff continued to fall on them. "Imagine that!"

"Y-yeah, I noticed," Jaune cried.

 _ **Raining blood from a lacerated sky.**_ Lacerated by the Hell energy beaming upward from Beacon's Amphitheatre.

No one forgot about the other airship about to crash into the one they were currently standing on. "INCOMING!" William exclaimed. They were all sent them all into a free fall towards the Beacon's docks below as they were lifted off the deck as the airship collided. Ruby was already firing away with Crescent Rose to slow her descent, same with Yang and Ember Celica, Blake holding on tight to her with her arms around her neck and Weiss used to her glyph to float downward toward the landing platform. Jaune, however…

"OH CRAAAAAA _PPPPPPPPPPPPPPP_!" he screamed as they fell, just missing William hand as the Slayer tried to grab him by the hoodie. Just when he thought he was about to turn into a stain on the side of the Beacon's cliffside he felt something piece through his hoodie and pin him safely against the dock supports. Looking up he could see it was a gold and red colored javelin. "Huh?"

He looked up to see his savior poke her head over the edge of the platform, an apologetic smile on her red-haired face that highlighted the eyeshadow around her green eyes and the bronze circlet around her forehead. "Sorry," she said, obviously because Jaune was dangling there, pinned near the cliffside above a massive drop into the sea below them.

Jaune looked awkward, "Uh…ok."

 _ **(Main Avenue, Beacon Academy)**_

Distant sounding alarms blared all over Beacon as smoke rose from the buildings where the fighting was the fiercest between students, faculty and the demons, the airships crashed on the main avenue leading towards Beacon, between the docking stations and the academy itself, right on top of the demons and novice Huntsmen and Huntresses fighting desperately, explosions tearing through both hulls as dozens of the surviving students desperately hurried out of the still-relatively intact airship, weapons still drawn and soaked in the blood from the demons they had each slain, only to be sat upon by _more_ Imps.

And William used one of them has a landing pad, the impact compensation system in the Preator suit making sure he was able to walk away from the gory impact crater he had just made. Switching the mod on his combat shotgun to charged burst he levelled a three-shot volley on the next impact, the Fire Dust reducing the demon to bloody chunks. Ruby landed some feet away firing one last shot that softened her landing, Yang following suit with Blake sliding off her back and kneeling on the ground as she tried to fight off her concussion and Weiss summoned another glyph that fired several energized volleys that peppered the combat zone and sending Imps and bits of them flying all over the place.

"Hey, everyone made it!" Yang smiled mirthlessly as she reloaded Ember Celica. "Now we can all-"

"Kill these fucks!" William exclaimed, swinging the combat shotgun and knocking an Imp upside the head and it landed on its stomach behind him, which he finished off by crushing its head under his boot, drawing his chainsaw and slamming into the forehead of another Imp that threw itself at him and sawing it in half. Gunshots rang out and two more Imps were felled by bullets to the head and chest and he turned around to see Jaune following behind a tall, bronze-armored girl whose long red hair was arranged in a pony-time who looked like she stepped out from classical antiquity. Her changed her steel-looking rifle into a javelin and the shield on her back appeared to magically move itself into her free hand, William noting the blackened field around the shield.

 _ **++Possible Semblance detected,++**_ VEGA said, only William being able to hear him.

"Pyrrha Nikos," the girl introduced herself, javelin and shield - _Miló_ and _Akoúo̱,_ in hand.

"…" William reloaded his combat shotgun. "William J. Blazkowicz III."

The others introduced themselves in quick succession…

"Ruby Rose."

"Weiss Schnee."

"Blake Belladonna."

"Yang Xiao Long. There, introductions over. Back to monster _killin'_!"

The demon slaughter continued as the Doom Slayer and the novices Huntresses and Huntsmen fought against Imps remaining on the avenue. Deciding to conserve ammunition William opted to just use his chainsaw. Both hands on the hilt he swung away, pieces of demonic flesh and limbs flying all over. Yang quickly joined him, leaping up on top of his shoulder and pushing herself off and unleashing several buck shot projectiles that tore several more demons apart.

Soon the avenue surrounded the crashed airship were clear of demons, leaving the surviving William and the surviving students to stand there and absorb what was happening around them. "What…what is happening?" _Pyrrha_ asked, sounding like she at a complete loss. "Grimm aren't supposed to bleed _red_ , right?" The way her eyes looked sunken it was obvious she was in state of shock herself. "What are these things?"

"Demons from Hell," Ruby simply replied.

Pyrrha blinked, "Hell?"

"Yeah, what she said," Jaune stated.

"I swear I'm never flying _again_ ," Weiss groused. "Especially with any of _you_ people!"

"Uh…Blake groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "…you needed to say that?"

"Nope!" Ruby cried.

"And back to them bleeding red, that means we can kill em'!" Yang declared, her eyes still glowing red. She turned to the Doom Slayer, "We're right behind ya'!"

William looked around to see the other prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses turning to him, a few nodding their approval at following someone who has fought these monsters before. "So what do we do, William?" Ruby asked.

William pointed towards the Amphitheatre and the Hell beam. _**++ I recommend we locate Professor Ozpin to better assess the cause the demonic invasion of Beacon Academy,++**_ VEGA advised. _**++Stopping the invasion should be considered priority one.++**_

"Did his armor just talk?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune shook his head and breathed out tiredly, "Long story."

"Of course," Weiss said, staring straight at William icily. "Professor Ozpin would be _better_ qualified to devise a strategy against these beasts."

The Slayer cracked his necked followed by his knuckles. VEGA engaged their private channel, _**And we need to determine**_ _ **why**_ _ **the demons have chosen to launch their invasion at this particular location on Remnant.++**_

 _And if he doesn't spill his guts the first time I ask him, I'll stop being so goddamn polite,_ he added to himself in his head.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _I thought it might have been early for Hell to already be invading Beacon, but then again it wouldn't be DOOM if our heroes weren't already curb-stomping demons by now._

 _Yes, you just read William and company fighting demons on an airship mid-flight to Beacon Academy before it crashed into another flaming airship that Pyrrha had been riding on. It seemed like it would be the most DOOM thing to happen. And yeah, a Prowler managed to knock down the Doom Slayer and Team RWBY. I figured a singular Prowler would be a match for the Doom Slayer in single combat (for a while at least) and be able to match a Hunter/Huntress in terms of speed and killing power._

 _I had fun writing the part where the Doom Slayer trolled Weiss. It seemed like something he would do._

 _After watching "Necessary Sacrifice", I just had to change the very first sentence back in Chapter 1 a bit. ^_^_

 _Been playing_ _Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus_ _around the same time I've been watching RWBY Season 5. And after watching Episode 2 and seeing Sienna Khan's character being wasted, Adam declaring his intent to enslave humanity like a certain other group of fascists and Ilia acting like a stupid asshole, hell_ _ **all**_ _the episodes involving the White Fang it seems reasonable that the Doom Slayer dispatches his human/Faunus opponents with the same amount of cruelty his ancestor B.J. Blazkowicz had._

 _There's a lot of things you can do with a chainsaw and a White Fang. ^_^ So forewarning, the White Fang in future chapters are going to have a really bad time!_

 _Here's a sampler…_

(RWBY)

…his scream sounded borderline falsetto as he felt William's heel dig deeper into his spine just below his neck as he gripped his appendages tighter, the sounds that followed reminiscent of fleshly paper being torn as his wings were torn from off him; William discarding the left one as he gripped the right one with both hand and driving the bone into the back of his skull and through the brain…

(RWBY)

… _like I said, a REALLY bad time._

 _And take a look at this on YouTube…_

 _watch?v=SfFKDGBAhwE_

 _Don't tell me classic Doomguy doesn't look like Taiyang under that helmet. ^_^ To think one of my ideas for this fic had been that Doom Slayer was an alternate universe version of the man himself._


	10. At Doom's Gate III: Rip and Tear

_**v.1**_

* * *

Miló in its xiphos sword form felt like it was becoming heavier in Pyrrha's hand the more she drew blood with it, pulling out of the neck of the next crazed student to throw herself at her with her fire sword, kicking the weapon out of her hand and following up with a shield bash that knocked her down, right at the feet of the other students slowly advancing on her, reddened eyes and enraged, spiteful looks on their face. And the ship burned around them, sat on fire by the rest of the crazies tearing through every deck and butchering anyone that unaffected.

Raising Akoúo̱ she shifted Miló in it's javelin form and pointed it forward toward her attacker, making sure to keep them at bay, all the while the guilt of killing several people, their bodies laying all around the cabin, was threatening to make her knees go weak and that would have left her open. "Why are you all doing this?" Pyrrha demanded, her tone a mix of anger and desperation. "What's _wrong_ with you?" One Possessed smirked and stepped forward, Pyrrha thrusting the point of Miló in his face. "Stay back!" she exclaimed firmly enough.

The Possessed Student grabbed Miló by the point in an effort to throw her balance, Pyrrha swung Akoúo̱, slashing him across the throat with the sharpened part of the shield, leaving the tall girl to gape horrified as the Possessed staggered back clutching at its slashed throat and gargling as it drowned in it's own blood. Another Possessed rushed her, causing her thrust Miló through its stomach and kicking it right off the point, swing Akoúo̱ against the face of another Possessed as they swamped her.

 _ **WARNING: COLLISION IMMINENT! ALL PASSENGERS MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE SHIP AND ASSUME CRASH POSITIONS!**_ The automated alarm system declared. Driving the point of Miló into the ground she vaulted up and over them, looking out the shattered windows that the airship was on a collision course with another airship; and the people on the deck fighting those Imp-like monsters. First, she focused on the one in what appeared to be sealed armor armed with the biggest-looking guns she had ever, then on the blonde kid with the sword and shield guarding against fireballs the monsters were flung at him.

Gritting her teeth to stop them from chattering as Vale's cold winds blew over once she threw herself from the burning airship, she used her semblance – _Polarity_ – to shift Akoúo̱ towards her feet and use it as a makeshift air board, using her semblance to slow her descent amongst the flaming wreckage and gore raining down around her as the airship's collided and felt towards Vale's main avenue. Seeing the blonde kid had no means of safe descent unlike the other Huntsmen and Huntresses, the armored one making a futile attempt to grab him as he used his jet boots or whatever they were to slow his descent, she shifted Miló into its javelin form and quickly judged the distance between herself, the free-falling blonde and one of the support beams built into the cliffside that held up the landing platform.

Throwing the javelin, it managed to pin the boy's hood against one of the supports, leaving Pyrrha free to focus her Polarity into the shield she was writing, gritting her teeth with intense concentration as she landed on the platform, skidding across the length of it and slowing to a halt before she could skid right off the edge. To her disappointment it was a near perfect landing. Pyrrha hissed lightly as she felt the friction heat radiate from Akoúo̱ as it slid back onto her arm.

She didn't forget they were in the middle of a combat zone against an unknown force as she ran over toward the edge of the platform and looked down to see the blonde boy hanging there pinned to one of the support pillars. Poking her head over the edge of the platform to see the blonde boy pinned to the support she couldn't help but look guilty. "Sorry."

The boy looked up at her, confused. "Uh…ok." He paused, letting his arms dangle to the side and smiled nervous, "Name's Jaune."

"Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos."

"Right…eh…don't suppose you have a way to get me down from here? Preferably one that doesn't end with me being dashed on the rocks below."

(RWBY)

 **At Doom's Gate III:  
Rip and Tear**

" _D'Nur Aeternum!"  
_ _ **\- Motto of the Silvered Citadel of Empyrean, Argent D'Nur  
Fortress of the Night Sentinels**_

(RWBY)

William shoved the Imp against the still hot steel that was the crashed airship and finished it off with a straight jab that collapsed it's face inward followed by it's skull, the crunching sound of bone satisfying for everyone present to hear. One of the demons had hidden itself within the wreckage of the airships the second the Doom Slayer had landed on the avenue and watched as him and the students laid waste to it's kin. And just when it thought it was safe to sneak away towards the others that went deeper into the academy Ruby saw it, pointed at it and William lunged at it, killing it in full view of everybody present.

William turned around to face the Huntsmen and Huntresses-In-Training, clenching his fists. " _That's_ how it's done," he declared.

"If we're finished with this blatant display of brutality, we need to determine out next course of action," Weiss said. "We need a plan of action. We need a _strategy_."

"Kill all sons-of-bitches," Yang cracked her knuckles. "That's _my_ strategy and it hasn't failed me yet."

Ruby covered her ears and cried, " _Eeeee_ …. bad word, _bad_ word!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and turned to William, "Suggestions?" She paused before adding. "I'm talking to the _AI_."

 _ **++There are two critical points of interests: the amphitheater, the source of the Hell energy beam and the demons most likely entry point into this dimension; and Beacon Tower – the Headmaster's Office and the Cross-Continental Transmit System.++**_

"That would make sense," Pyrrha stepped forward. "They would try to cut off communications from rest of the kingdoms." She looked up at the sky where the Hell beam pierced through the clouds. "But how did they manage to…create _that_ in the first place." Pyrrha sounded like she was at a lost for words, her tone of voice oddly calm but it was obvious she was scared.

"Who cares _how_?" Blake cried. "We have to stop any _more_ of them from coming in."

 _ **++Correct. Destroying the source of the demonic incursion and ensuring continued communication throughout the Kingdom of Vale will the first step in securing Beacon Academy and preparing for an inevitable Hell Invasion and further Grimm frenzies.++**_

"'Hell invasion'? This is _really_ happening?" Weiss still had difficulty processing all this.

"Y-yeah, demons from Hell, huh?" Jaune chuckled nervously. "Who'd of thought?"

"Hey, focus!" Ruby exclaimed. "Didn't you hear VEGA? We can still stop this thing before it even begins."

"I don't think there's any way to 'stop' it now," Blake stated as she reloaded her pistol with Earth Dust rounds. "Most we can do now is tough it out." She turned to William, "Right?"

Another explosion tore through the airships, convincing everyone that it was time to move.

 _ **++Accessing Academy surveillance through remote CCTS access: Heavy fighting concentrated around the tower, dormitories and lecture halls,++**_ VEGA reported. ++ _ **Main**_ _**Avenue leads towards amphitheater, branching paths redirect toward Beacon Tower and other Academy facilities.++**_

 _The AI did that? Just access Beacon's security and the CCTS that easily?_ Weiss thought alarmed.

" _I'm_ shuttin' that down," William pointed at the Hellbeam. "Rest o' you – tower, Ozpin, dorms. Kill everythin' that doesn't look human-" Blake thought her blood froze in her vein when she thought William was looking at _her,_ instead of the stag Faunus behind her, him and the other Faunus looking freaked out by Williams' statement. "Human- _ish_ ," he added.

"HEY, tinman!" William's attention was drawn towards some tall guy with burnt orange hair, indigo-eyes and decked out in actual, practical-looking armor with a bird emblem emblazoned on the chest plate angrily pushing his through the crowd toward him, his left hand stemming the bleeding from a cut on the left side of his forehead. "Who put _you_ in charge?"

"Hey, Blazkowicz knows-" Jaune began as he approached him, only for the taller youth to grab him by the scruff of his hoodie and with a smirk shove him backward hard enough for him to land on his back, much to nearly everyone's surprise, and disgust. None more so than William, his eyes narrowed toward what he guessed was a _bully_ – someone who took pleasure in hurting other.

"Blazkowicz? Blaz-Ko- _Vitch_?" the bully repeated loudly to himself, chuckling at the seemingly absurdity of such a foreign name. "What the hell kind of name is that?"

" _My_ name," William rolled his eyes, having been through this scenario at least once in his life. "Yours?"

"What?"

"You have a more 'normal' name, then?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. Cardin Winchester," the bully identified himself. Lowering his hand from his still bleeding forehead he stepped up to William. "I keep hearing 'demons' this and 'Hell' that. That's bullshit!"

"Hey, look around _asshole_ ," Yang cried. "It's definitely not Grimm that's attacking the school."

"…" William didn't have time for this. "Cardin?"

"Wh-?! Cardin suddenly felt William grab him by the face and slam against the steel of the wrecked airship in the exact spot where he had killed that Imp, William gripping his throat with his fingers pinching into his neck, slowly cutting off his oxygen. Again, everybody present weren't prepared by how callous William can treat his fellow humans.

"Oh, crap," Yang muttered.

"…" William lifted him up higher, the back of his head scraping against steel. "Anythin' else?"

He choked out, "Y-you're the boss, you're the boss!" His sycophantic smile was painful to look at, "We're behind ya' hundred percent, believe it!" William snorted and threw him down to the ground.

William hefted his shotgun and turned to leave toward the Auditorium. After getting over seeing Willam manhandle Cardin Ruby ran up to him. "You're really going straight for that beam by _yourself_?" Ruby cried. She shook her head, "I'm coming with you."

The Doom Slayer sounded indignant, "I said...!"

Ruby gritted her teeth and shouted right in William's visor, " _I_ said I'm coming with _you,_ like it or not!" Her volume caught nearly everyone by surprise. "You're not doing this alone!" Ruby's tone became softer, "Not anymore."

"…" William felt like arguing some more, maybe throw in a harsher expletive while he was at it. But the pleading on Ruby's face kept him silent. The pleading that comes from a warrior begging to be let loose, and who was he deny her that?

"I'm coming as well," Weiss swiped the blood that was still on Myrtlenaster. "Gods knows the both of you are going to need some kind of support."

Smiling, Ruby remembered how useful Weiss' Semblance revolving around her glyphs were, "Good idea."

"And I'm not going anywhere without my sister!" Yang declared. "Deal with it."

Blake sighed, "I'm coming too." She looked over at William and the three other girls. "You could use one more."

"Don't you have a concussion?" Ruby asked, alarmed. "The thing nearly popped your head like a grape."

Blake frowned and sucked it up, "I can manage."

"And…uh…me and Pyrrha can head for Beacon Tower while everyone else can head for the dorms," Jaune hesitantly said. "Right, everyone?" Nods went all around the novices, even Cardin. William noticed how Jaune looked surprised, and how little _conviction_ he had behind his words. "Oh, okay." _Oh, why do I sound like I know what I'm doing? Why am I trying to pass off as a leader?_

"I'm with you," Pyrrha said, again catching the Arc by surprise.

The massive doors leading into the amphitheater were kicked off their hinges, animal-like growls and fierce bellowing assaulting the soundwaves, signaling it was time to jump back into the fray. Making sure the scope on his heavy assault rifle was secured and removing the empty missile launcher to reduce weight, William kicked a piece of flaming airship wreckage out of his way and turned back towards the Huntsmen and Huntresses-In-Training, all their weapons held tightly in hands and ready for action. "Hey!" one of the novices called out. "Any last-minute advice on how to fight demons?"

"…" William thought of the most appropriate response. "Shoot em' till' they die!"

Yang smirked, "Best advice ever." She stopped smiling when an flying object head struck Ruby's hand and caused her to drop Crescent Rose. Rubbing her hand, Ruby saw that it was an eyeless severed head, his face contorted in silent agony, everyone else recoiled in horror and turned toward the direction of the amphitheater to see the demons emerge, covered in human blood and eager to spill more.

William surveyed the Avenue leading towards Beacon: Massive combat zone, plenty of room to run rings around the demons and avoid projectiles, and it won't just be him taking on the Slaves of Doom this time. But on the other hand, the demons were given plenty of room to maneuver as well, and a chance the Huntsmen and Huntresses behind him will end up either dying in mass or accidentally getting in his way. A far cry from the hallways, passages and arena-like kill zones had been slogging through on Mars and in Hell. And it had been eons since he had laid foot on the proper, wide battlefields of Argent D'Nur.

 _ **FLESH AND METAL (ALTERNATE 1)  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST**_

Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose off the ground, looking determinedly towards the amphitheater and the Imps emerging from the doors and windows, throwing themselves to the ground and charging the Huntsmen and Huntresses in training. A Hell Knight stepped out of the amphitheater and beat its chest, the Reaper in its sights. Ruby accepted the challenge. "Try to keep up, you guys!"

Through her Semblance Ruby left afterimages in her wake as she dodged a hail of fireballs thrown at her, the Imps' concentrating hell energy in their palms that collected heat and debris from the air before tossing them. She split the first Imp to charge her in half across the torso, and swinging again and delivering a horizontal bisection that left it in _three_ large pieces. Tasting the blood in her mouth she quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and spitting what remained on her lips. _Who would have thought demons could bleed so much,_ she thought, distressed. _Or even bleed the red stuff at all._

Speaking of blood, the other Huntsmen and Huntresses in training caught up to her and a bloody melee ensued between the youngsters and the Hellspawn. William hissed in anger, no way to open up with his guns or swing his chainsaw lest he accidentally cut someone down, so he settled for just using his fists as he hurled himself against the horde. Yang threw herself in front of Ruby and detonated the guts of another Imp, tossing the hollowed out remains over her shoulder and right at Weiss. No time to summon a glyph she just ducked her head to avoid, more blood splattering up at her as the corpse landed next to her. Myrtlenaster in hand she slashed across the eyes of another Imp, leaving it open for Pyrrha to thrust her javelin through it's chest and put her foot against it's shoulder to yank it out.

"I'm sorry, was that your kill?"

"D-don't worry about it," Weiss replied. _I'm fighting alongside Pyrrha Nikos,_ the _Champion of Mistral_ , Weiss was squee'ing internally as she allowed herself a small smile. _Imagine that,_ _me fighting alongside the Champion of Mistral._ Imp brains splattering all over her dress courtesy of the Doom Slayer's fist brought her out of her revelry. "I think if we stick together, we'll be able to…to…" Weiss trailed off when she saw Pyrrha run to the aid of Jaune, again knocked to the ground by an Imp catapulting itself into his shield, changing Miló into sword form and slicing the demon across the chest and severing its right arm. "Get through…this…" she trailed off awkwardly, just barely noticing Ruby landing right beside her using an Imp as an impromptu _surfboard_.

" _HEYITHINKWESHOULDSTICKTOGETHERWHATDYASAY_?!" Ruby quickly rattled off, the blood on her not doing anything to make her strained smile any less awkward. They turned around just in time to see several students being bowled out of the way of the Hell Knight as it charged her, Hell energy coursing through its fists. Swinging its fist at her it felt Blake's wrap around it's wrist, it's knuckles inches from Ruby's face. It pulled its arms trying to break threat.

Blake held onto Gambol Shroud tightly and pulled hard, keeping it immobilized and open for Ruby to swing Crescent Rose at it's neck. The Hell Knight snarled, and concentrating Hell energy into it's arm he raised it, the point of the scythe piecing through its arm. Roaring it yanked Blake off her and toward Ruby and Weiss. Phasing out of existence before she made impact with Ruby and Weiss she reappeared above the Hell Knight, swinging her left leg and striking the demon across the face, loosening the ribbon wrapped around it's arms and retrieving Gambol Shroud, holstering it into it's sheath and drawing it from her back in its cleaver form. Crying out in might she brought the cleaver down, the Hell Knight roaring as the blade embedded itself halfway through the bone in right arm, holding her in midair long enough for him to course Hell energy through it's fists and pounding the ground and sent Ruby and Blake flying.

"Ruby!" Yang exclaimed as she saw her sister land on the grass, the Hell Knight advancing on her. An Imp took advantage of her lapse of concentration to hurl itself and landed a across Yang's face, which the blonde simply tanked and retaliated with a straight jab to the head, blowing it apart, before being swamped by more Imps, each one scratching away at her Aura while her Semblance struggled to keep the damage from affecting her. "RUBY!"

 _Fuck!_ came the Doom Slayer's hurried thoughts as he punched his way through toward Blake and the Hell Knight, sending Imps flying right until he noticed Jaune. "ARC! SHIELD UP!" William shouted.

"Huh?!"

"SHIELD! UP! NOW!" William barked out again, startling Jaune into doing what he says, and nearly finding himself crushed underneath the Doom Slayer's weight as he jumped and off the shield and above the heads of the students and demons, the Hell Knight turning his head and dropping Ruby just in time for Weiss to summon a glyph above William that empowered the Doom Slayer and accelerated his descent to the speed of a _bullet_ , the Hell Knight practically getting hollowed out as William tore through him and out the other end, the impact compensators in the leg joint in the Praetor suit almost burning themselves as he landed on his knees, holding Ruby in his arms and his left hand immediately covering her wound, keeping the demonic blood and viscera that landed on them out of it.

The hollowed-out Hell Knight then toppled over in opposite directions, what was left of the internal organs slopping out onto the grass. "Uh…William?"

"…"

"Mind tossing me Yang's way?" Ruby requested. William complied and hurtled Ruby at Yang and the Imps assailing her, hand wrapped around the hammer and firing away, high-caliber rounds blasting each of the demons away and drawing the scythe to slice the last one down the middle. "Yang!"

"Ruby, you're…!" Yang blinked when she noticed how her dress was torn, she was soaked in blood and was _smiling,_ as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to be, which was scary. "…ok?"

Ruby nodded, "William saved me. Again."

Yang looked over toward William, seeing the Slayer punch down another Imp and finishing it off with a hammer strike that caved its skull in. _Again, huh?_ Yang thought. _So, he's the kind of killer with a soft spot for little girls or something?_ She cringed when saw him get his hands on the last Imp on the feet and snap his neck, tossing its body aside like the useless hunk of demonic meat that it was.

"The way's clear!" Weiss exclaimed, wincing when she looked up at the Hell beam rising up from the amphitheater. Heading towards the front entrance she called out, "We're still splitting up?"

"We're heading toward the tower," Pyrrha said, indicating herself and Jaune.

Doubled over, Jaune wiped his mouth as he finally allowed himself to puke, the sights and smell of the dead getting him, "Sure thing…PTAH!"

Looking disgusted at Jaune lack on self-control Weiss called out, "Ruby! Blazkowicz!"

"…" William drew his combat shotgun, switching out the barrel for the explosive shot mod. As he was about to follow after Ruby and Weiss she felt Yang grab him by the shoulder and glare straight at him.

"Where we're going nothing better happen to my sister, got _that_?" Yang threatened him. She was taken back when he brushed her hand off as casually as brushing some dust away. "Hey!"

"We'll be fine, sis!" Ruby called out to her, sounding all chipper, enthused and determined. "C'mon you two! Let's go shut that beam down!"

"..." William wondered how long it would take until Ruby's psyche finally breaks and she would stop being... _her_.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Beacon Tower)**_

His eyes closed and rhythmically tapping the ground with his cane Ozpin breathed in deeply as he and Glynda rode the elevator down from his office to the ground floor of Beacon Tower, the light within the car flickering as aftershocks rocked the tower. Gripping her riding crop tightly Glynda assumed the Headmaster was trying to keep cool under the threat of an invasion from demons tore straight from the worst place ever imaginable.

"Glynda, whatever it takes we cannot let them reach Amber," Ozpin said, eyes still closed and facing the lift door. "She may only have _half_ of her soul, but who knows what they would be able to do with it."

"Do they even know she's here?" Glynda replied, hurriedly. "For all we know they could be here to just destroy the school?" She paused. "They could be here for _you_."

"Now's not the time to speculate," Ozpin finally opened his eyes. "Judging from the fact they were able to summon an energy beam straight out of the amphitheater here that no doubt connects to their realm they must have had followers inside Beacon."

Glynda shivered, "It's not just Salem that's gathering followers, then." The sound of a massive explosions was heard and tower's structure suddenly took a massive beating, causing Glynda to fall backward and into Ozpin's arms. "Something just hit the tower!"

Ozpin's scroll rang and he answered it with his free hand, "Bartholomew!"

" _Ozpin! Are you and Glynda out of Beacon Tower yet?"_ came the rapid response from the other end. _"Those monsters are overrunning the dormitories, killing every living thing in their path! They're relentless, nothing we've ever seen before"_

Ozpin frowned, "Can you hold out until help arrives?"

" _I got as many students and faculty as I can with me and we've established a perimeter. On my life nothing that isn't human is going to get through!"_

 _DING!_

The elevator came to a stop as it touched down on the ground floor, and the doors opened to reveal a Huntress-in-training, blood pouring from her mouth and eyes like tears that dripped over he stained casual wear, obviously a new arrival. The rifle-sword combo slipped out of her right hand and she croaked out "H-help…me…" Ozpin staggered backward as the student's blood and brains splattered all over himself and Glynda as her head exploded from a superheated fireball to the back of her head.

"Oh gods…" Glynda cried. An Imp descended from the ceiling and landing on top of the corpse, fireballs already in both hands would have incinerated the whole elevator shaft if the mechanism in Ozpin's cane didn't whir to life and thrust it forward through the demon's throat, the Imp staggering back and grasping at it's neck. It suddenly found itself cut into a several dozen pieces, Ozpin leaving afterimages as he rapidly sliced away. Stepping out of the elevator Beacon Tower's lobby was the stuff of nightmares: Corpses upon corpses – CCTS technicians, security personnel, students, even the janitor – upon a small lake of blood and these Imp-like demons in the process of piling up the corpses for who knows what, crawling over the walls and windows.

There wasn't any kind of expression on Ozpin's face. Glynda reasoned that there couldn't have been any to suit the rage he was feeling at this very moment. His retribution upon these monsters was so sudden she barely registered the severed arm that sailed past her head as she tried to keep up with the Headmaster of Beacon Academy's movements as he hacked down the first Imp to throw itself at him, and suddenly parrying a _fireball_ back at another Imp that fast and nailing it in the face, sending it spiraling backward onto the bloodied floor with third degree burns on the side of it's face. Ozpin was standing over it in a heartbeat and impaled it through though the back of the skull.

 _Is this what we have to look forward to every time we fight these…demons?_ Glynda thought, waving her riding crop and telekinetically slamming an Imp into another Imp and sending them into a wall and leaving a blood-smeared crack. Walking toward Ozpin, taking care to slip on the blood while wearing high heel, she nearly stepped on another dead body, that of a student. Glynda felt herself choke up at the side, blinking the tears out of her eyes at the sight of the mutilated, burnt corpse; all wide-mouthed and bug-eyed. It spoke volumes about their new enemy.

Anger. Wrath. Mercilessness. Hatred.

Pure. Utter. _Hatred_. For Humanity. And so much of it.

A pained shriek brought her back to horrid reality and she looked ahead to see Ozpin confronting a 2nd Year student dressed in Beacon uniform – a torn, bloody uniform – wielding a short sword in his hand and his blazing red eyes were fixed on the headmaster, lowering the point of his cane to the ground as the Possessed student roared and charged him, both hands on the hilt of his short sword. Ozpin made no effort to move or even defend himself as the Possessed stabbed him in the shoulder, piercing through his Aura and impaling flesh.

"Ozpin!" Glynda shouted and raised her crop.

Ozpin didn't even flinch when he felt the point of the Possessed's sword penetrate his Aura and hit his armor-lined suit. When he had first laid his eyes on the demonically-controlled 2nd Year student he thought he felt the strength sap out of him when he realized that death wasn't the _worst_ thing was awaited Beacon's student body now they were already in conflict against Hell. It was having their souls seemingly violated and their bodies reduced to demonic vessels, exactly what the UAC codex had informed them all about.

Feeling the Possessed's blade penetrated the armor lining his suit and hit his shoulder he didn't so much as grunt in pain but downcast his eyes sadly, now convinced that once a human became one of Hell's thralls, there wasn't nothing that not even he could do. "If there is any part of you that remains, please forgive me," he said. For a second the Possessed stopped growling long enough to suggest that that small part of its humanity heard him, right before it opened his mouth to roar right in Ozpin's face; and its head slid off it's neck and landed on the ground, Ozpin swiping the blood of his cane.

"Ozpin!" Glynda cried as she caught up to him, hearing him grunt painfully and he covered the wound in his left shoulder with his right hand.

Ozpin shook his head, "This is nothing, Glynda." He stared down at the corpse of the Possessed student he had just decapitated, then over at all the other dead humans lying amongst the Imps he had hacked down. "Nothing at all," he finished, no emotion evident in his voice.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Amphitheater, Entryway)**_

"…you…you can't be serious?"

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang had expected to be fighting more of those Imp things, not confronted by an entrance filled with crimson-eyed, angry Possessed students. Though they retained their human appearance they sported all manner of bloody mutilations and wielding their ancestral weapons covered in blood of the undemonized they had slaughtered in the name of the demons and dark lords that were controlling them from beyond worlds. For now, they were just all standing there between the Huntresses and the Doom Slayer, he himself expecting to fight freshly Possessed Beacon Academy goers, and the passage leading towards the inners chambers of the amphitheater.

And William wasted no time drawing his chainsaw and revving it up. "WAIT…what are you doing?!" Ruby cried, grabbing hold of Williams. "You…we can't just kill them all! They still look human!"

"…VEGA?!" William grounded out impatiently.

 _ **++They have been Possessed by the demons through the Lazarus Wave event generated by the Hell beam, Ms. Rose. There is nothing left to be done for them.++**_

"I agree," Weiss said hesitantly, the dust chamber in Myrtlenaster spinning by itself as the heiress readied to spill human blood.

Gambol Shroud was in its gun configuration held by Blake's sweaty hands, "And they stand between us and-!"

"BULLSHIT!" Yang cried. "We're not going to kill them! We just need to-"

" **RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"** Yang turned in time to see a Possessed thrust a mechanical spear towards her face. Narrowly dodging it she retaliated with a left hook that once again she expected to just send him flying, his Aura shielding him from most of the damage. Instead she blew off the student's jaw and demolished most of it's throat as the blast from Ember Celica sent him flying into a wall, leaving a blood splatter and the Possessed lying on the ground convulsing in its death throat, his Aura – his _Soul_ \- having already being consumed by Hell.

"N-NO!" Yang cried as she paled, staggering backward and nearly fainting from the shock of killing someone that was _alive_. "T-that wasn't supposed to happen! His Aura-"

 _Not time for this._ William growled in frustration and tore away from Ruby, drawing his heavy assault rifle and firing away at the Possessed from the hip as they all charged, moving several of them down. Another Possessed leapt up from the small crowd and kicked the assault rifle out of his hand, William countering with a knife-hand between the eyes, shattering bone and kicking the body into another Possessed and launching an uppercut, punching through _both_ of them that sent them flying, blood and entrails trailing behind them. Another Possessed took a knee to the gut before William followed up with an elbow drop to the skull, his eyes popping out of the skull as it was caved in.

Limbs all over the place and decorating the once pristine, marble-look hallway as he went tore into them with his fists, switching to the super shotgun to finish off the remaining three, one blast electrified by Lightning Dust bifurcating them and sending their torsos flying. All in full view of the girls, each of them just standing there, Ruby and Yang pale and visibly shaking while Weiss and Blake managed to keep a brave face on, but all of them horrified at how easily it was for William to just be so... _ruthless_.

"W-William…" Ruby croaked. "…you…" She cried out and looked away as William stomped a still living Possessed head in, the skull collapsing to pieces beneath the Slayer's foot.

"…" William turned to the girls as he walked over and picked up his heavy assault rifle. He thought they would have been used to this by now, guess that comes from wearing a _skirt_ into battle instead of armor. "Comin'?" He just ran right over the bodies, flesh and bone being crushed underneath his boots, as he made his way down towards the hall.

"…shit…" Yang muttered. She ran after him, "Wait up!"

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed. Turning to Weiss and Blake she quickly inquired. "You sure you want to-?!"

"YES, C'MON!" Weiss cried as she pushed her forward. "No turning back now!"

(RWBY)

 **(Shortcut Past The Dining Hall)**

"UH…wha…wait up Pyrrha…!" Pain shot through the right side of Jaune's ribcage. Clutching at his side and dropping down on one knee, he struggled to catch his breath as he felt winded at the same time.

"We have to keep moving it's not safe here," Pyrrha knelt down and grabbed Jaune by the shoulders, looking around the seemingly deserted area outside the dining hall windows. "Y-you're hurt?"

"Yeah, think I bruised a few rips when those things kept throwing themselves at me…ow…ok, make that _all_ of them," Jaune coughed into his hand. Eyes widened like saucers when he saw blood in his palm. "Oh, that can't be good."

"Why didn't your Aura absorb the blows?"

Coughing some more Jaune inquired, "A-Aura?"

Assailed by the sounds of conflict nearby Pyrrha moved her left hand to cup the back of Jaune's head and placed he right hand against his breastplate. Guessing that Jaune didn't know the first thing about Aura and deciding to skip whatever speech involving mysticism revolving around Aura she focused her own spiritual energy into him, sensing that he had overwhelming amount of Aura within himself and unlocking it. To her surprise he immediately stood up, eyes wide as he straightened himself up feeling revitalized with a smile on his face, the pain in his ribs faded as he took a deep breathe.

Jaune sighed out loud. "Wow, that did it!" he exclaimed. "I feel like a new-" He was suddenly blindsided by a fist to the side of his head by what looked like a seven foot skeleton with armor and mobility boosters bolted onto its body with Multiple Launch Rocket Batteries attached to its shoulder-plating cut his revelry short, sending him flying almost comically into a wall, leaving Pyrrha to deal with the Revenant alone.

Pyrrha winced as she Revenant shrieked loudly at her, raising Akoúo̱ and guarding herself as it rained blows on her with it's fists. Pyrrha swung back with Miló in its javelin configuration, the Revenant boosting itself backward to avoid her swings before ascending into the air. Pyrrha gasped lightly when she felt the dots of its targeting lasers on her forehead and dove out of the way as it unleashed a barrage of rockets at her. Switching Miló to its rifle configuration she returned fire, the Revenant swerving to avoid each shot, launching more rockets at her and would have emptied its salvos…

"KILLSTEAL!"

…if something hadn't exploded right out of the rooftop of the dining hall and brought her _large_ warhammer down on the Revenant's head, smashing its skull and most of its chest plating to pieces, igniting the jetpack and causing whatever was left to propel itself into the air and explode, raining blood and pieces all over Pyrrha and the hammer-wielding Huntress. Her short orange hair, her collared black vest over her white sleeveless top with a heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, pink skirt and pink/white shoes all covered in blood. Her turquoise-colored eyes were wide with bloodlust, adrenaline and disbelief of the horrors she was currently fighting her way through.

Yet, she was smiling. " _Eww_ …I got red _all_ over me. BLUERGH!" she stuck her tongue out as she shook the blood off her hands that gripped her hammer _Magnhild._ She turned her head towards Nora, looking like she had just noticed her there."Oh heeeyyyyy… _you_."

Pyrrha swallowed, "Um…Pyrrha Nikos. My name is-"

"Pffft…" Nora brushed her off. "I know who you are, Ms. _Pumpkin Pete_." With a big grin she extended her hand, "Name's Nora Valkyrie. Nice to meet'cha!"

The Champion of Mistral couldn't tell if she was being driven insane by the demonic invasion happening around them or if she was this naturally perky, even in the face of said demonic invasion. "JAUNE!" Pyrrha suddenly remembered her companion and ran towards the windows where Jaune was currently propped up against the wall. Winded, groaning but still alive. Hand still extended, Pyrrha pouted and wordlessly followed after her.

"Ah dang it I lost Ren… _again_ ," Nora muttered to herself, feeling embarrassed. "Definitely going to get an earful from him." Speaking of whom Imps were sent smashing through the windows and out of dining hall. "Oh, there he is!"

And out leapt a young man in a dark-green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs landing and landing on top of the windpipe of one of the Imps, blood erupting from it's mouth and staining his black-hair that had magenta streak. Spitting blood from his mouth he drew a pair of green-colored fully automatic pistols with attached scythes – _StormFlower_ – from his sleeves and shot each of the fallen Imps in the head.

Lie Ren ejected the spent magazines from StormFlower, letting out a sigh of relief, "I think that's _all_ of them." Pyrrha looked past the window to see a dining hall fall of dead demons – shot, stabbed, beaten and bludgeoned. "I said not to get separate, Nora," Ren shot his companion a tired look.

"Sorry," Nora appeared bashful. "But I saw this mechanical skeleton with a jetpack and I just had to kill one of _those_."

" _That's_ what punched me?" Jaune muttered groggily as Pyrrha helped him on his feet. Shaking his head he said, "Felt like my head exploded."

"Would have if it weren't your Aura," Ren pointed out. Nearly jumping out of his skin from the sounds of an explosion he said hurriedly. "Were you headed for Beacon Tower?"

Jaune nodded, "Yeah. Thought we could find Professor Ozpin."

"Hey, that's where we're headed too!" Nora chirped. "Heard there's a lot of monsters gathering around there, trying to get in and stuff." Hefting her hammer Nora grinned, "We're heading where all the action is!"

Jaune gulped, "Oh, really? I-" Suddenly the Hellbeam became more intense, the ground shaking underneath them. "Uh…keep moving, everyone?"

(RWBY)

 _ **(Amphitheater)**_

 _ **BFG DIVISION (ALTERNATE)  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST**_

William grimaced at the sight of something he's seen a thousand times: An amphitheater of corpses, a Gore Nest spawned from the first-year students that had been waiting in the amphitheater before the Hellbeam had blasted out the ceiling was sat up in the middle of the chamber, in the center of a massive pentagram painted with blood and surrounded by smaller, more intricately designed runes. And sitting cross-legged in midair, hovering above the Gore Nest in a meditative pose, William recognized was a _Harvester_ – another offshoot of the Imp species that was separate from the Summoner. Its long fingers formed a pyramid as the Hellbeam was radiated upward from the Harvester, drawing – _harvesting_ \- power from at least a dozen late adolescent Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training; third-year students each stripped of their clothing, all trapped within an spherical Argent energy field powered by their Aura and floating high above the ground.

Ruby sounded her mind just snapped. "What are they doing to those students?!" she shrieked.

 _ **++Hypothesis: They are powering the Gore Nest using the student's Aura to maintain a rift that has been torn between this reality and theirs,++**_ VEGA said urgently. _**++Or more accurately: Their souls.++**_

Yang gritted her teeth, "How do we free them?"

 _ **++Tearing the heart out of the Gore Nest will destroy it and seal the rift. Terminating the Harvester will most likely release its hold on the students. Though they are most likely possessed by now due to constant exposure to the Hell energy. I recommended terminating them immediately.++**_

"W-what?! NO!" Ruby exclaimed. "We can't just-"

"We make it _quick_ ," William said, pulling the hammer of his assault rifle back.

"IS THAT GOING TO BE YOUR ANSWER TO _EVERYTHING_?! JUST _KILL_ THEM?!" Ruby was now shouting at him, tears welling in her eyes. "There has to be a way to save them!" She could see him stare at her hard through his visor. "We…we can't just keep killing people-!"

"Ruby…" Yang reached out to her. She remembered what Ruby about the possibility of having to fight and kill other humans. Obviously, she wasn't keen on acting on it after all.

"We can't save _everyone_!" Blake exclaimed, herself angry at the situation they were forced into. "We…we just can't. Deal with it."

"If we can't save them we…we…" Weiss gritted her teeth, feeling nauseous at the thought of killing other people. "…the least we can do is…make sure they don't suffer." Weiss turned to William, "Right?"

"…" William was silent as Ruby's naivety was once again wearing him down. Now sick of talking and craving ultraviolence he raised the scope of his assault rifle to his knee, the Harvester's head in his crosshairs. He pulled the trigger…and the Dust-infused bullet stopped in midair a few inches away from the Harvester as it opened its solitary eye, broken from it's meditative-like state, to see the Doom Slayer by four of those accursed heathen Huntresses – the silver-eyed one in particular…

" _ **She who is red like roses. Does**_ _ **another**_ _ **of the Seraphim's accursed bloodline live?"**_

In its anger the Harvester intensified the Hellbeam, the humans it was drawing power from began screaming in agony as they began to cook inside their own Auras. Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Blake felt breathless all of a sudden when it felt like they had stepped into an intensely hot sauna, the Hell energy playing havoc with their Aura. Hearing the demonic voice once, much calmer and confident than before, echo from another didn't help, and it was referring to Ruby as if she were a threat.

"…w-what?" the sweat ran into Ruby's eyes as she clutched her chest, trying to catch her breath. "What's he talking ab-?"

" _ **She must not propagate."**_

The Harvester opened its mouth and bellowed loud enough with authority to shake the amphitheater's foundations as warp portals spewed forth Imps, Hell Knights and the Unwilling – the dried up, millennia old walking husks – snarling as Ruby felt their infernal stares upon her. Seeing Ruby ready Crescent Rose for some imminent major bloodletting with that that plucky determination William drew his chainsaw, content to let her take the first swing…

" _ **Kill her. Tear the eyes and the womb from the corpse and**_ _ **burn**_ _ **them."**_

…instead it went to Yang, screaming in fury as she swung a left hook at the first Imp to leap at Ruby, detonating its head and sending its corpse flying into the Hellbeam, exploding in a shower of blood that rained over the Harvester.

 _ **BFG DIVISION!  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST  
(1:01-)**_

"NOBODY AND NOTHING _MESSES_ WITH _MY_ SISTER!" Yang screamed as she punched her way through a horde of demons, clearing a path toward the Harvester.

"…goddammit," William muttered as he tried going after her but was waylaid by two Hell Knight at once.

"YANG, WAIT!" Ruby cried as she followed after her, slicing Imps and Unwilling in her path, William hacking down the first Hell Knight to accost her, running it through the chest with the chainsaw then angling the blade up to take it's head and much off it's neck off, his free hand going for the combat shotgun and ramming it into the gut of another Imp and blasting a hole through it, the entrails slopping out on the floor, which Blake nearly skidded on as rushed forward with Gambol Shroud in pistol form, emptying her magazine into the heads of several low-ranking demons, ejecting the spent magazine and stabbing another through the neck with the blade attached to the grip before reloading, dodging a hail of fireballs thrown her way and leaving a shadow clone to take the hit as she slid a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud. Forgoing the use of her glyphs Weiss gripped Myrtlnaster tightly and just hacked apart the Imps foolish enough to see her as a too delicate a heathen to survive, slashing them to ribbon and avoiding their fireballs and claws with a dancer's finesse.

Yang launched herself into the air with Ember Celica, pulling her fist back as she hurtled over the combat zone toward the Harvester, letting out a war cry as she prepared to obliterate its head to meaty chunk. And suddenly she was frozen in midair a foot away from the Harvester and the Gore Nest it was hovering above. Gritting her teeth, Yang realized she was complete frozen, her first mid-motion past her cheek, realizing that the freak had let her get this close just to see the look on her face, right before stretching its arms out and blasting her point blank in the chest with an energy attack that sent her flying back across the chamber, searing her jacket and crop right off her body, exposing her bare torso and her cauterized wound to the air as she sailed across the room, slipping in and out of consciousness as her semblance failed to withstand the sudden bombardment of Argent energy.

 _Reckless dumbass!_ William mentally cursed, hearing Ruby screaming for her sister. Tossing the head of a Hell Knight over his shoulder he called out, "SCHNEE!" Weiss pointed Myrtlenaster up at Yang, catching her with her glyph that slowed her descent and allowing William to double-jump and catch her, landing right before another Hell Knight that raised both his fists and prepared to strike him with a haymaker, before getting shot multiple times in the head by Ruby through the scope of Crescent Rose and finishing it off by leaping up and swinging her scythe into it's head and slicing it in half.

William took a moment to look over the girl he was carrying in his arms. It looked like her Aura had managed to absorb any physical damage done to her body. Her jacket and top on the other hand was completely gone, and the Doom Slayer found himself wrestling with the temptation to spend a few moments to enjoy the fact he was carrying a half-naked young woman in his arms, a small respite from the eternal Hell that was his unnaturally long existence.

Thankfully Yang coming around and finding herself in William's arms brought back to reality. "Uh…why do I feel chilly all of a-?" Realizing where she was, and the fact her bare breasts were tasting air, she lit right up with embarrassment. "Oh."

"Yang, you're ok!" Ruby cried happily. Realizing Yang's state of undress and William was still holding her she glared at him. "Don't look!"

"Ain't tempted," William replied. That was a half-truth. He looked at Yang's eyes, "You gonna do that again?"

"Hey, nobody threatens my sister and gets away with it!" Yang exclaimed. Her eyes widened when William snorted derisively as he suddenly and unceremoniously dropped her on the ground, "OW"

"You guys finished?" Blake cried. "That thing's still… _floating_ there."

It's minions all dead, the Harvester was the only monster left in the immediate vicinity, the Doom Slayer and the Huntresses readied themselves for one more fight. The Harvester roared out loud and descended from its meditative state, both feet touching the ground and arms stretched out as it concentrated on extracting the Aura of the students it was sucking the life out of toward itself and not the Gore Nest powering the Hellbeam.

The Harvester looked up at the ceiling at the dozen floating human sacrifices, just as each of their faces split into freakish smiles and they erupted into shrill laughter, their Aura still feeding both the Harvester and the Gore Nest.

"What's going on?" Blake cried.

Weiss glared at the beast, "That thing's doing **this**!" She stepped forward, challenging the Harvester. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from us humans?"

" _ **HUMANITY IS A HEATHEN BLIGHT UPON THE REALMS OF CREATION!"**_ the sacrifices all spoke as one for the Harvester. _**"TIME AND TIME AGAIN OVER MILLENIA YOU FAILED TO DESTROY THE CREATURES OF DARKNESS! TIME AND TIME AGAIN UNTIL YOUR HEATHEN GODS ABANDONED YOU!"**_

 _Creatures of Darkness?_ Ruby's eyes widened. _They know about the Grimm?_

" _ **YOU ARE A DEBASED SPECIES – OPPORTUNISTIC, WEAK, COWARDLY. FIT ONLY FOR SACRIFICE AND SUSTENANCE, YOUR SOULS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED BY THE REALM OF DOOM AND ITS SLAVES HAVE COME TO COLLECT!"**_ the sacrifices droned on, and were interrupted when the Doom Slayer fired his heavy assault rifle at the Harvester, which summoned an Argent shield to protect itself followed b Hellblade shaped like a double-sided scythe. _**"THE DOOM SLAYER WALKS AMONG YOU! YOU AID HIM IN HIS WAR TO EXTERMINATE THE SLAVES OF THE DARK LORD OF THE FOURTH AGE!"**_ the sacrifices' volume grew louder.

"..." the girls all turned toward William, the Harvester obviously referring to him.

" _Fourth_ Age?" Ruby shivered at the title bestowed upon William, "Doom Slayer?"

" _ **YOU WILL ALL SHARE HIS FATE!"**_ the sacrifices all screamed out as the Harvester lunged at them. _**"AND REMNANT WILL SOON FOLLOW!"**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Meanwhile...)**_

"D...did you guys hear all that?" Jaune shivered as he stopped to lean against a tree, hand over his pounding heart as he still heard that demonic bellowing in his ears. "That was loud!"

"Yeah," Ren nodded. "That's...heavy."

"'Heathen blight?'" Nora questioned out loud. "That's not very nice."

"It shows what we're up against," Pyrrha declared. "We-" She gasped and extended Miló. "JAUNE!"

Jaune screamed comically and spun around to see that he had been leaning near the floating fiery orb they saw peering at them through the window of the airship they had travelled on. "Oh ok, it's not hurting anyone, it's just floating doing...whatever it's supposed to be doing."

"Incoming!" Ren exclaimed, StormFlower in hand as more demons approached them, ducking out of the way of a fireball that struck Jaune, his Aura holding as it knocked him backwards...

"JAUNE!"

...into the orb. Time felt like stopped, as the Ui-Thranx demon absorbed itself into Jaune's Aura, having found a suitable host to use to vent eons worth of rage. But first it had to goad the boy into doing it's bidding.

 _ **Berserk...**_

Worlds burning, the remains absorbed into a fiery, bloody, ever expanding shadow. Trillions upon trillions of innocent souls screaming as they were consumed by the blackest of evils. Remnant itself burning to cinders. The faces of Jaune's parents and sisters as they were torn limb from limb, the pieces put on pikes and hoisted high in the air as their home burned...

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

Jaune screamed in fury and tears of agony were rolling down his cheeks as his Aura ignited, letting go of Crocoa Mors as the Ui-Thranx within took the reins. Like a man literally possessed he ran past Pyrrha and shoved Nora and Ren aside, throwing himself against the demons, throwing a left hook that sent an Imp spiraling into pieces into air, following up with an elbow strike that blew a hole through another Imp's chest, finishing up by grabbing another Imp by the sides of its face and driving his knee between it's eyes and exploding its head. He screamed in pain when another fireball struck him, and he furiously rounded on the Imp responsible. For it's part the Imp was struck with terror and turned to run, only for Jaune to get a grip on his spine and could only manage a whimper before the Arc tore it right out of it's back and smashed it against a Hell Knight before unleashing a left hook and punching its right arm off, grabbing it and smashing it right into the Knight's skull, leaving the hulk to topple over backwards like a tree.

It's bloodthirst sated, the Ui-Thranx released it's hold on Jaune and his Aura dissipated, leaving Jaune to fall to his knees a sweating, puking, sobbing mess. "Jaune!" Pyrrha cried as she, Nora and Ren ran up to him, the Champion of Mistral skidding onto her knees as she grabbed Jaune by the shoulders and gently shook him. "Are you alright?"

"P-Pyrrha?"

The girl in question smiled, "Yes, it's me. Are you ok?" She started to sound cautious as her hand slowly inched towards Miló. "Are you still _you_?"

"Nikos!" Ren exclaimed.

"I... I don't know," Jaune slowly lifted his head up, looking around himself to see the carnage he had just wrecked. "I...did all this?"

They heard the sounds of conflict growing louder. Ren shook his head and helped lift Jaune to his feet, "Can we freak about this later?"

Jaune nodded, "Yeah. I'm ok. I'm ok." He sounded unsure of himself. "I'm...ok."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Outside Beacon Tower)**_

Ozpin and Glynda forced the tower's lobby door opened, to be greeted by a small legion of demons waiting for them, and...

"PETER!"

...an aged, round man in a red suit with an impressive moustache armed with a blunderbuss-axe combo going to town on them, sending Imps and bits of Imps flying everywhere as he swung away at them, clearly having the time of his life in spite of being practically showered in blood for the first time in his life, his rotundness affecting his speed little as he hacked them to pieces, switching to his blunderbuss to blow a smoking hole right through a Hell Knight.

"HA HA! I never imagined I would ever hunt anything that bleeds _red_!" Professor Peter Port happily exclaimed. Turning to Ozpin and Glynda. "Oz, Glynda! Care to join me?"

Glynda unleashed a bombardment of telekinetic blasts that shredded more Imps, bringing up a shield to protect herself and Ozpin, the Headmaster stepping forward to parry the first of a Hell Knight, throwing it half balance and leaving it's back open for him to thrust through it's back, twisting the cane and letting it bellow in pain loud enough and long enough for Port to sever its head with his blunderbuss-axe. Another wave of Imps suddenly caught on fire and blown to gibs, leaving behind pinkish smoke courtesy of Nora's _Magnhild..._

"HEY, LEAVE SOME FOR US!"

 _..._ her, Ren, Pyrrha and Jaune cutting their way through another group of Imps, Pyrrha's Miló in sword form and Akoúo̱ beginning to feel superheated as she shielded herself from fireballs.

Nora scored the final kill outside Beacon Tower, Magnhild in its hammer configuration caving the chest of an Imp lying sprawl on the ground.

"Professor Ozpin!" Pyrrha exclaimed loudly, panting as she stood up straight before the Headmaster. "We thought you might have needed assistance, sir."

"Ms. Nikos," Ozpin nodded his head. "Mr. Arc." He turned to Ren and Nora.

"Oh," Nora grinned, wrapped an arm around Ren and held him to, the side of their faces smooshed awkwardly. "Lie Ren and Nora Valkyria, here to become Huntsman and Huntress, sir." A severed demon arm chose this particular moment to fall to the ground right beside the twosome, illustrating how dissonant Ms. Valkyria was acting surrounded by demonic visceral pileup. Ozpin couldn't help but dread for about the mental wellbeing of the student body, the ones that would be still be alive by this day's end.

"Blazkowicz, Ruby, Weiss and Yang headed straight for the amphitheater to try and shut _whatever_ that is!" Jaune pointed towards the amphitheater and the Hellbeam coming up out of the roof. "He said that's where _they're_ coming from!"

"From where would that be?" Port inquired.

Ozpin flicked the blood of his cane, "From Hell, apparently." Recalling what William said he added before Port could voice his disbelief, "The _real_ Hell – an alternate dimension and _not_ a place of eternal torment."

"Professors we can't stay here, we have to help them!" Pyrrha cried. "We-" She felt blood drip onto her head. Everyone looked up to see the red stuff leaking from the body of an academy professor Deag Grav was wringing what life was left in it before dropping it down from a massive idea, breaking every bone it's body as it made impact with the ground and blood spattering over the Professors.

Floating high above the humans, to Grav they looked like ants. Looking down at Ozpin it moved its long fingers and pretended to roll Ozpin in between them, before 'crushing' them in its fist. The corpse of the professor suddenly sprang back to life with a hideous wail, it's shattered bones cracking as it crawled toward Ozpin, Jaune and Pyrrha subconsciously jumping out of the way.

On the surface it would appear Ozpin looked indifferent. Reality, he had never been angrier, "Deag Grav, I presume?" The Possessed screeched and threw itself at Ozpin, the Headmaster thrusting his cane through it's eye, twisting his wrist and killing it. Grav's shrieking caught Ozpin's abrupt attention as it focused the Hell energy within itself into it's palms and getting ready to unleash a few slicing energy waves when the Hellbeam suddenly increased in intensity to the point of the sky turned blood red and everyone present with an Aura suddenly felt themselves breathless as the hellish energies pricked against their very souls.

"W-WHA...what's happening?!" Glynda cried. Grav angrily turned toward the amphitheater and sped off towards the Hellbeam, leaving a trail of energy behind itself. "It must think something must have gone wrong."

"We have to make sure it stays that way," Port hefted his blunderbuss-axe over his shoulder. "Ozpin."

"Yes," Ozpin nodded. "And I have the feeling that even Blazkowicz wouldn't be able to handle, _especially_ with four Huntresses getting in his way." Pyrrha had been about to open her mouth to ask what they should do when Ozpin turned to her, "Professor Oobleck could use some help right now. He's at the dormitories."

Jaune objected, "But what about-?"

"You've already proven yourselves capable to facing opponents unlike anything you've been taught about!" Ozpin said hurriedly. "But I'm not eager to throw you against opponents you wouldn't stand a chance against." Port and Glynda by this point were already on their way toward the amphitheater. "Now please-"

"We'll do what you say, professor," Ren spoke for everyone. "Right, everyone?"

(RWBY)

 _ **(Amphitheater)**_

Grip on the hammer Ruby leapt into the eyes and fired several shots at the Harvester, the demon raising his own scythe to block each shot that ricocheted off the solidified Hellblade. Ruby and the Harvester crossed blades as Ruby sailed over the demon and landing beside, pulling her scythe back and swinging again as she aimed for it's neck. It brought it's right arm up, it's shoulder stopping the point of Crescent Rose inches from it's throat. The Harvester looked over at William and what appeared to be a smirk.

"YAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Ruby's back made hard impact with against the amphitheater's upper balcony when she guarded against a massive swing from the Harvester's scythe, which then generated a shield around it self to withstand a volley of explosives shots courtesy of Yang's Ember Celica. Focusing Hell energy through it's horns it fight a straight Hellbeam shot, singeing the edges of Yang's head as she dodges the blast, propelling herself forward only to be knocked aside by William, raising his chainsaw to guard against the Harvester's scythe, crossing blades. The Harvester unleashed another explosive Argent wave from it's body and knocked William down, causing him to skid across the floor and smack against the wall right beside Yang, leaving Blake and Weiss to launch their own strikes.

Yang looked more than indignant as she grabbed William by the shoulder and pulled him forward so they were visor to really angry face, "Hey, what's the big deal ramming into my like tha-?!" the Doom Slayer wasn't one to let someone lay their hands on him and retaliated, grabbing Yang's hand, twisting it and shoving her against the wall. "OW...w-what are you-?!"

"Wanna try goin' _around_ the fuckin' thing?" William asked.

"Go around? What are you-?"

 _ **++Blazkowicz is suggesting you stop leaving yourself open for counterattack,++**_ VEGA gave his assessment as William let go of Ruby. _**++ You are clearly no match for the Harvester's offensive capabilities, and your Aura can only take so much damage from the Hell energy radiating from the demon. You must use a different approach.++**_

"You're trying to tell me _how_ to fight?" Yang growled. Seeing William look at her she subconsciously moved an arm across her chest in a feeble attempt at modesty. They turned to see Weiss summon several black glyphs to try and immobilize the Harvester long enough for Blake to race across the side of the balcony right behind the Harvester, the Gore Nest and the Hellbeam. Bounding off the wall she threw her blade attached to the ribbon at the demon, the blade piercing through it's neck, and Blake swinging around it's head until she managed to land atop it's back, wrap her hands around the blade's handle and drive it deeper into it's flesh, gripping hold of the ribbon tightly so she wouldn't get thrown off. The Harvester released another energy waves from it's body and blasted Blake off itself before swinging its arms and smashing the glyphs that held before picking up a student's body and hurling it at Weiss, catching the heiress by surprise, knocking her down and pinning her to the ground underneath the corpse.

It was then Ruby managed to pick herself up, William and Yang feeling collective dread that she wouldn't stand a chance against the demon. Gritting his teeth William got up and charged the Harvester. Ramming himself into the demon he grabbed its arms, yanked them forward and slammed his forehead into it's eyes and stunning it. "THE _**HEART**_!" William shouted.

Yang sprinted towards the Doom Slayer and the Harvester, leaping up atop William's shoulder and bounding him toward the Gore Nest and the Hellbeam, the Harvester screeching angrily and releasing a massive amount of Hell energy that engulfed William, overloading the Praetor suit's internal system and causing him to seize up and topple over backward. _**++WARNING, ARGENT...OVERLOAD IN INTERNAL SYSTEMS. INITATING...EMERGENCY VENTING!++**_ VEGA urgently reported. William gritted his teeth as the Praetor suit went into spasms before his back painfully arched the suit's it's capillary systems released excess Argent energy that cracked the floor underneath him.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby screamed. "YANG!"

The Hell energy radiating off Yang's Aura made it feel like she was walking through a furnace, her semblance keeping her from just keeling over in agony as she reached for the Gore Nest's beating heart and tearing it out.

The screams that followed came from the floating third-year sacrifices as the feedback hit each of them and from the souls of all the first-years butchered to spawn the Gore Nest as their souls were released from their demonic shackles, granting them all death as the Gore Nest exploded, the sacrifices each exploding in their Argent prisons and raining blood all over the amphitheater, the Hellbeam fizzling out and those with Aura present no longer felt like they were in a sauna. Utterly exhausted from their ordeal Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss felt themselves coughing up someone or something else's blood, Yang throwing up when she realized she had swallowed someone blood and rotting flesh.

"PFTT! Oh...shit..." she coughed out. Picking himself up William saw that she that she was a nightmare to look at – wounded, topless, covered head to toe in blood she barely looked human at all. But here she was, standing tall and ready as ever to take on the Harvester as it charged her, enraged that she had been the one to stop the incursion. "COME ON, YOU FREAK!" Yang screamed angrily, bellowing out loud as she launched an explosive uppercut that sent the Harvester flying over her back, the shrieking demon flying toward Ruby as she got up.

 _ **AT DOOM'S GATE  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST  
(0:53-)**_

Tired, wet and sticky from having an hour's worth of blood washing over her and her head pounding from all the demonic screaming that still echoes in her ears Ruby lifted Crescent Rose as the Harvester hurtled towards her. Shoving the barrel forward she drove right into the Harvester's gaping maw she pulled back the hammer...

"Shut up!"

...screamed, and fired, the bottom half of the Harvester blown to pieces leaving only the torso and what remained of the intestines to dangle as it fell back to earth.

 _ **++hArveTter...killED, DImensIOnal...tEAr haS bEen... SEaled,++**_ VEGA stated as best as it could as it suffered the effects of a seizing Praetor suit. _**++BOTh...criTIcal thrEAts...NeutRALized!++**_

Ruby sighed out loud, "There. Done."

Lying on her side Weiss groaned she rolled over onto her back and tried sitting up. She covered her mouth when she saw that nearly the whole amphitheater was painted red. "It's...it's over?"

"Yeah, and I think we won," Blake's voice was slurred, her head starting to hurt once again as her concussion returned. Then Deag Grav chose this moment to appear before them in a miasma of Hell energy, floating above the remains of the Gore Nest and looking like it was rage incarnate as it looked over the bisected remains of the Harvester. "Or not."

Ruby shivered when she felt Grav's eyeless stare upon her, right before it was obscured by William's back as he threw himself between her and Grav as it teleported in front of her and tried to reach for her, so that they were face to face, William's arms hanging limply as his suit still struggled to reboot its system, Argent energy still radiating off him. "William!" Ruby cried, seeing that he was shielding her with his body.

The Reaper couldn't keep her eyes from misting. She was relieved that he was still alive, and here he was protecting her once again.

"..." if one could see through William's visor they would shiver at the kind of glare he was giving Grav right now. And Grav felt a chill when it grabbed William's helmet with both hands, tearing it off his tear and tossing it aside, William's silver eyes no longer dull as they were before but now shining as brightly as Ruby's, like battle was what brought the fire out in him. William felt himself regain control of his left him and went straight for Grav's throat, choking the Hell Cardinal before it unleashed a point-blank blast of Hell energy that sent both him and Ruby flying.

"NO!" Yang exclaimed as he tried to stop forward but collapsed beneath the strain of exhaustion and Aura depletion. Weiss raised Myrtlenaster only for herself to be blasted by an energy wave that knocked her out, and Blake felt too disoriented to get back up. Grav raised its hands and prepared another blast until it saw Ozpin, Glynda and Port enter the amphitheater.

"What in-?!" Glynda couldn't keep herself from covering her mouth in horror at the amphitheater's new paint job. Grav shrieked out a curse before spinning around, ascending up towards the ceiling and escaping the hole the Hellbeam had blasted when it had spawned the Gore Nest with all those teenage boys and girls packed into the amphitheater and summoned the Harvester to draw the souls of those it had captured to begin tethering this world to Hell, preparing it for it's eventual absorption once it had performed the rituals using this world's equivalent of the Elemental Wraiths of Argent D'Nur: The Maidens of Remnant. And right now with all those human sacrifices achieving their purpose and gauging the strength of these 'Aura'-using humans with their ingrained special abilities and their transforming weaponry, it felt the need for self-preservation as it made its escape.

"P-Professor Ozpin?" Blake groaned out as the man stepped over to her and helped her to sit up. "I-I think I'm concussed-"

"It's alright, it's over now," Ozpin didn't mind the blood staining his pants as he knelt down to pat Blake's shoulder comfortingly. "Glynda?"

Glynda approached William as he slowly stood up carrying an unconscious Ruby in his arms. "Blazkowicz? Is she-?" William's silencing glare was her response, he looked over to see Port checking on Weiss. Glynda looked around at the carnage that had been wrought in this place of gathering, knowing that half of this year's new arrivals were all smeared across the wall, the floors, the ceiling, on her shoes. She felt tears will in her eyes, lifting her glasses to wipe her eyes. "I don't...how do we deal with...?" She raised her voice as she took her sorrow out on William. "What do we tell the families of everyone that's died today?"

"..." William bumped into Glynda as he shuffled past her. "The truth." He turned to Ozpin he called out angrily as he deposited Ruby in Yang's arms, the blonde resting her forehead against her chest. "OZPIN!"

In spite of the blood, in spite of all the death, all the carnage that surrounded them, the weary looks on the faces of the team he would christen as 'Team RWBY' and William looking at him like he was ready to strangle him at a moment's notice Ozpin's smile was tired but radiated warmth. "You kept them alive. I knew you would." He suddenly felt William grab him by the collar and lift him up so they were eye to eye. Port reacted quickly, lifting the barrel of his blunderbuss-axe to William's head. Ozpin's smile faltered, "It's ok, Peter."

"Ozpin!" Glynda went for her riding crop, only to pause when William inquired of Ozpin.

"..." there was reason why Deag Grav chose to attack this place first. And William was going to find out. "Anything I should know?"

Yang blinked at William's audacity, remembering how far the Doom Slayer went to make sure that she, her sister, Blake and Weiss would survive, that he had stopped her from rushing headlong at the Harvester and scold her into trying a different approach, and just now without hesitating thew himself between a demon lord and Ruby, shielding her with his body. And now here was grilling Ozpin, a famed Huntsman and Headmaster of Beacon Academy, for answers.

"B.J."

All it took was William Joseph Blazkowicz III to protect her sister to make Yang realize that he was someone they needed on their side.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Next chapter things will slow down a bit as everyone tends to their wounds – the physical, emotional and mental kinds._

 _Welp, after watching Season 5 looks like the Doom Slayer is going to have a lot more things to be angry about regarding a few certain characters behavior (I had a feeling from the start that Raven would end up becoming a deconstruction...and a failure as a human being overall); and he's not exactly the forgiving, understanding type._

 _Anyone remember the first time they heard BFG Division in-game? Or Flesh and Blood blasting in your ears the first time you grab a Berserk powerup? Greatest gaming moments ever! ^_^_

 _With the Harvester this chapter, honestly, I never played the multiplayer too much and never had the chance to grab a demon rune and turn into one, so my knowledge on the Harvester's abilities is through the wiki, gameplay videos and my own spin on it. I can imagine the higher-class demons being able to summon energized blades (which I dubbed Hellblades) just like the Cyberdemon could._

 _Anyone notice that new cover art? **xXTheOneGuyXx** drew it so a big thank you to him. You can find a full-sized version of it on his deviantART page, and I'm quite proud of it. ^_^_


	11. At Doom's Gate IV: Selective Truths

_**v.1**_

* * *

 _ **(Hurtling Between Dimensions)**_

 _ **(Near the End of the First Age…)**_

" _ **Oremor nhoj, em llik tsum uoy, emag eht niw ot!"**_

Gripping his shotgun tightly to his bloodstained, ruined green combat armor the Marine's eyes were shut tightly as he felt himself _falling,_ seemingly forever, through a fiery vortex. The last thing he remembered doing was launching one last rocket into the exposed brain of the Icon of Sin – that massive, goat-headed demon thing attached to what he guessed had been a massive mechanical-lift support system (parts supplied by the UAC probably) – and the resulting explosions that wracked from its shrieking face had knocked him off the platform. He had expected to land in the acidic pits of Hell, feeling at peace with dying after suffering torment like no one has ever had but instead he just kept falling as Hell itself seemingly collapsed upon itself.

The Marine heard what he thought sounded like a thunderclap before he passed out. It felt like he came to almost instantaneously when he felt blades of grass prick his exposed abs, slowly opening his eyes to look through the visor of the helmet at the sun setting in the orange sky, lying on a rolling green hill. In the distance he could see mountain, and a bright shining silver light beyond those mountains. He groaned as he tried to push himself up off the grass, only to collapse back when he felt his strength finally give out.

He chuckled sadly and closed his eyes. If he was going to die, at least it would be somewhere nice, somewhere that reminded him of home before Hell came and took it from him. Beating his West Point yuppie superior officer into a body cast for ordering him to fire on civilians and saving Earth from the forces of Hell, to him there was no better reward than dying peacefully in a grassy hill; to be greeted by a brown-furred bunny that sniffed curiously at his helmet when he opened his eyes again.

"..." letting go pf his shotgun he tried moving his hand, only for the rabbit to suddenly bolt and leap up into the arms of a young woman with light-auburn hair that reached the small of her back. She was wearing what looked like a suit of silver-armor over a white dress that carried an air of mysticism and nobility around her; especially the way her silver eyes brightened when she saw him slowly reach for his helmet and pulled it off. Her eyes lit up when she saw the tired, haggard blonde-haired, brown-eyed man that smelt heavily of brimstone and she could sense the power of Hell radiate off, her left hand holding her bunny tightly to herself and her right hand slowly behind her back towards the dagger she kept strapped to her back.

She only paused when she the man asked, his words the first he had spoken in a _long_ time, "You an _angel_?" He smiled, not the kind whenever he would get his hands on a new weapon but a genuine smile, "This _heaven_?

 _ **(Argent D'Nur)  
(Most ancient among the Realms of Mankind)**_

 _ **(Near the End of the First Age...)**_

The woman tilted her head like she didn't understand a word he had just said. He sighed, still smiling painfully, "Doesn't matter. In front of a beautiful woman on a rolling green hill, no better way to-" He paused when he felt the woman's hand on his forehead as she knelt in front of him.

"Et venerunt de Terra?" the woman asked.

 _Terra_? Earth. The Marine nodded before he passed out again. The woman blinked, seemingly unsure of what she should do upon knowing that this man was a Terran – someone that came from another realm of mankind – that somehow passed through the divide between dimensions and sat foot upon holy Argent D'Nur. For now, placing her rabbit back on the ground she knelt on the grass and rested the Marine's head on her lap. To provide comfort was her role as a priestess of the Wraiths, and until her Night Sentinels guards would come to return her to the temple back at Argent City she would stay here with this man – this Terran man who fought through Hell itself to reach Argent D'Nur, what he referred to as 'heaven'.

The woman sighed, running a hand through the Marine's short blond hair. Though he smelt like blood, sweat and brimstone, for a Terran he was handsome...

(RWBY)

 **At Doom's Gate IV:  
Selective Truths**

 _We whose eyes of Argent are damned to fall with weapon in hand and surrounded by the corpses of our enemies, and our deaths are sacrifices made so no one else has to make them. Through our actions we are held up as paragons, as examples to be followed, and we are not permitted to act any less human than our bloodlines have already made us.  
_ _ **\- Corrax Entry 14:3**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Beacon Academy, Vale)  
(Kingdom of Vale, Remnant)**_

 _ **(The Beginning of the Fourth Age...)**_

"See what did I tell you guys? These things aren't so tough!" Cardin grinned, resting his bloodied mace over his shoulder and grinding his foot into the back of the shrieking Imp's head, pushing its face further into the ground to the amusement of his companions. "What's the matter, freak? You sad your little light show's gone out? You went and picked the wrong planet to invade!"

Though he ended separated from all the other students heading towards the dorms it didn't take long for Cardin to find some likeminded individuals such as himself – the types that reminded him of the jocks he used to run with back at the combat school just outside his hometown. Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzwing and Sky Lark – three other heavily armed, monster-hating badasses that joined him in some good old monster slaughter with burnt demon corpses strewn about. The jocks' weapons and armor were covered in hellspawn blood, Cardin's mace in particular still had bits of Imp skull stuck to the sharpened edges. At first Cardin had been freaked out at the sight of these non-Grimm looking monstrosities swarming all over the place, but after quickly learning their attacks patterns and movement he could honestly say that he hadn't had this much _fun_ in a long, long time.

"Man, these things are ugly as sin," Russel grinned, gripping his massive, curved, bloodstained daggers. Wiping the blood of his face he groused. "They sure _bleed_ a lot."

Dove kicked the Imp in the cheek, listening to it screech in pain as he fractured its skull, "And they make a lot of _noise_."

Sky snorted, "They're _animals_. Why wouldn't they make a lot of noise?"

Cardin gripped his mace with both hands, "This one ain't gonna be for much long-!" A gunshot pierced the soundwaves and blood sprayed upward over Cardin as the Imp's skull exploded, brain slopping out all over the ground. "AH, what the fuck?!" Cardin cursed, wiping the blood off his face and out of his eyes to see that scraggly-looking blond kid accompanied by some guy in eastern wear armed with dual submachineguns, some girl in pink with a large hammer and another girl wearing ancient-looking armor and heel and carrying a smoking rifle that she transformed into a sword.

"What'd you do _that_ for?" Russel shouted over at them. "We were just getting started?"

Pyrrha frowned, "We're supposed to kill our enemies, not _torment_ them."

"Hey, they're the ones attacking us, remember?!" Cardin exclaimed.

"And they're still here!" Jaune exclaimed, shocking himself by how assertive he tried to be. "And we could really use your-" Cardin was up in his face in a heartbeat. "...help?"

Cardin smirked, "Sounds like you're trying to tell me what to do?" He tapped his mace against his back. "I don't like being told what to do!" His eyes widened when he felt the point of Miló against his cheek. "Whoa, what's this?"

"Uhhh...a really bad time for acting _petty_?" Nora answered. "That's what I'm seeing right now." She raised Magnhild, Ren gripping StormFlower as Russel, Dove and Sky each leaned forward, weapons in hand. Looking over their shoulders she smiled brightly, "I bet _he_ does."

Russel turned around, jumping in fright and pointing his daggers at the sight of a guy in power armor covered in weapons and smeared helmet to boot in blood walking towards them, chainsaw across the shoulder and a double-barrel shotgun in left hand, "Oh, shit!"

Cardin gagged a bit at the gruesome sight as William approached them, looking like he had been drenched in a literal tidal wave of blood, holstering his super shotgun so that he could tear away a bit of flesh caught in the teeth of this chainsaw, tossing the meat over his shoulder onto the grass. Sky pointed his halberd at the Doom Slayer while taking a cautious step back while Ren's posture suggested caution on his part.

Jaune however could only smile at the bloody sight, "Relax, he's on our side. BLAZKOWICZ!" He waved at him. "You did it." William shook his head, causing Jaune alarm. "But the girls...that beam-?"

"Blazkowicz?" Russel grimaced at the pronunciation. "What kind of name is _that_?"

William ignored the mohawk. "They're fine," he replied. "Yang tore the heart an' Ruby killed the fucker." He noticed Ren and Nora, "Still alive?"

"Well, _duh_ ," Nora stuck her tongue out. "It'll take more than a bunch of ugly not-Grimm to bring me and Ren down." Realization struck her. "Oh, _I'm_ Nora, this is Ren."

"Is that power armor? Are you Atlesian military?" Ren queried, pointing at his Praetor suit. "Or a member of _any_ kind of military on Remnant?"

"You blind or something? _Look_ at him!" Cardin exclaimed. "You can tell he's not!" William ran right past everyone gathered. "Where're you going?!" Again, Cardin didn't like being ignored.

"..." William didn't answer as he made his towards the dorms.

"Hey!" Ren found himself dragged by Nora as she ran after him, a smile on his face as she cried out after him, "Leave some for the rest of us!"

Pyrrha turned to Jaune, "Should we follow them?"

"Yeah," Jaune nodded, "Right now it's safer to be around the ultraviolent gun nut." Seemingly forgetting about Cardin they headed toward the dorm, leaving Cardin and the jocks with the corpse of the Imp they had been torturing, the mace-wielder appearing dumbfounded.

"Uh...Cardin?" Sky sounded at a loss. "We...we're following them, right?"

"Ye-YEAH!" Cardin exclaimed as ran after them. "More things to kill where they're headed, probably." Russel, Dove and Sky exchanged confused glances at each other. Russel shrugged and they followed suit.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Dormitories, Building 2)**_

"Now...just need to stop the bleeding..."

Glasses cracked, blood all over his clothes and matting his green hair and using his tie as a makeshift tourniquet, _**Dr**_. Bartholomew Oobleck managed to stop the flow of blood out of the 2nd Year student's stump that used to be her right leg which had been severed by one of those 'imp' like monsters that had suddenly appeared out of the crimson energy that had torn itself out of the Amphitheatre and pierced a hole in the sky. So many of them just appeared and attacking the students under his care – clawing, biting, hurling fireballs. So many gruesomely maimed or slaughtered, the girl that was writhing underneath him for instance, if she survived the blood loss or the infection that would no doubt settle in her career as a huntress would be over before it even began.

Smoke rose from the barrels of Coco's minigun as she backed away from the barricades leading out of the breakroom that she, her team and Oobleck had established a parameter out of. Other students had their weapons out while many, many others were laid out on the ground with all kinds of grisly wounds, burns and missing limbs in between them, all crying out in agony while other were huddling in the corner all behind the furniture, terrified out of their minds by the demons.

"Oobleck?!" Coco called out over shoulder. "We could use a little direction here!"

" _ **DOCTOR**_ Oobleck!" he snapped, more out of stress and instinct over not being afforded the proper title. Closing his eyes and afforded himself a few second to compose himself before replying, "We keep holding out until help comes!" He looked out the window to see the Hellbeam projecting out the amphitheater had disappeared, clear indication that the tide had turned. "And they _will_."

"They _better_ ," Coco cried, the hallway before her full holes and demon corpses and painted in blood and ammo counter on her minigun nearly reaching triple zeroes. "I'm about twenty rounds away from the next wave making a straight beeline for us." Ferocious howling echoes from around the corner down the hallway and she hefted her minigun up and began spinning the barrels. "And fuck me for not shutting my damn mouth." She turned to her team, "Ready?"

Yatsuhashi and Fox readied their blades while Velvet held the box that held her camera under her one arm, ready on a moment's notice to open it. "It feels like it's too early to be breaking this out," the rabbit faunus said.

Coco smirked, "Ditto."

"Focus, students!" Oobleck exclaimed as he stood up, his torch at the ready. "These monsters will not find us easy prey anymore!"

The sound of panicked shrieking and a fist making impact with demonic skull reverberated around the hallway was followed by an Imp being smashing into the wall from around the corner, leaving a body sized crack and blood as it peeled right off and landed on it's back on the ground. Coco hadn't realized she had been holding her breath when she let out of a sigh of relief as Blazkowicz turned the corner, accompanied by that Jaune guy and three other, one of whom she recognized as the mascot for Pumpkin Pete.

"Blazkowicz!" it was pure happiness in Velvet's voice as she called out to the Doom Slayer. "Y-you came for us!"

Coco smirked as he lowered her minigun, "Settle down, Scarlatina." William, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora tread over the corpses in the hallway toward the breakroom. Coco wasn't smiling when she saw how drenched their rescues were in demonic blood, and how haggard Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren looked. "Jeez, you all look like you've been through a world of shit."

"...feel like it, too," Jaune muttered.

"Language, Ms. Adel!" Oobleck barked, Coco flinched a little at the volume. The _doctor_ eyed the Doom Slayer wearily, "Blazkowicz?"

"..."

"William Joseph Blazkowicz III? Doom Slayer, Praetor, Grimm Marine, B.J., Will, Billy, _whatever_ else you are referred to or will be referred to in the foreseeable future. Ozpin said to expect that you would be a special case, and it would appear it's not a detrimental sense." Oobleck rapid fired off each word rapidly. "The cessation of that unholy pillar of light piercing the heavens, I will assume that that was your doing?" William silently stared at Oobleck like he was trying to figure out _what_ he is. "I will take your silence as a yes." Adjusting his glasses Oobleck peered in close enough to see his reflection in William's visor.

Pyrrha found the sight rather peculiar, to say the least. "Professor-?"

" _ **Doctor,**_ " Oobleck corrected her. He turned back to William, "I will also have to assume you and your companions killed the rest of these monsters all the way here-?"

"FORE!" Cardin was heard calling out loud one floor below them right before an Imp was sent smashing through the window and into the kitchen counter, it's spine snapped in half and shrieking in agony, the students present screaming and scrambling away from the stricken beast. William shoved Oobleck aside and brought his fist down on its head, smashing it against the counter like a watermelon. William stepped up to the window to see Cardin smirking up at him, "Your welcome!"

Jaune smiled tiredly, " _Now_ I think that's all of them."

Oobleck got over William's rudeness quickly enough to feel anxious at how William just nonchalantly finished off that demon. It was just as that UAC codex articles Ozpin had forwarded him early this morning before he and the other lecturers would have been summoned for an impromptu meeting at Beacon Tower if not for the demonic invasion. William J. Blazkowicz III had come to Remnant to continue waging his holy war, and if the state of his armor, the size of his guns and the way he had pushed Oobleck aside like he didn't give a damn that it would be at the cost of everyone and everyone that didn't mean a thing him.

The thought filled him with dread. But then again, he just me... _whatever_ he was under that armor. Gods willing, there would be plenty of time to assess what kind of person Blazkowicz was before the inevitable happened and people would once again find themselves caught in the crossfire between the Doom Slayer's guns, the demons. _And_ the Grimm – the demon's presence would trigger another Grimm frenzy soon, and it would probably be worse than the one about 24 hours ago.

"... _Professor_ ," William got Oobleck's attention, deliberately referring to him by that title instead of doctor. Oobleck knew Blazkowicz was baiting him and forewent correcting him. William glanced at the students in the breakroom all looking at him as if expecting him to have the answers to whatever bedlam they each found themselves. "Any more?"

"..." Oobleck closed his eyes as he removed his glasses and cleaned them with a cloth. "That I could find."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Somewhere Unseen...)**_

Ruby remembered William throwing himself in between her exhausted, weakened self and Deag Grav's long fingers reaching for her face right before it was slammed into it back when he unleashed another one of its energy waves. The next thing she knew she was lying on something soft, sticky and felt like raw meat clinging to her naked body. "Where am...WHAT?!" Her eyes shot upon as realization set in, that she was lying on a fleshy ground devoid of Crescent Rose and her combat skirt, leaving her to stand up a frightened, naked, bloody mess alone in the middle of a blood-soaked, gore-ridden nowhere. Just surrounded by miles of a visceral paste, blood erupting from the ground whenever she took a step forward.

"Anyone here? Yang?" she whimpered as she looked around herself. "William? Weiss? Blake?!" Tears welled in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself, covering her more intimate parts as she cried out. "SOMEBODY... **HELP ME**!"

"Ruby?" Her eye widened she heard someone _familiar_ gently say behind her. "Is that you?"

"...mom?" Ruby turned around to see a figure dressed in a white cloak and hood, standing some feet away from her, long red hair spilling out but her face shrouded in darkness. Covering her mouth Ruby felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. "MOM?!"

Summer Rose. Her _mother_. Down here in this gory pit with her. Ruby couldn't have looked any happier as she ran towards her, up until she pulled her hood back to reveal that her eyes were missing, bored out of her skull and blood running down her cheeks like twin rivers. Shocked, Ruby fell to her knees, gripping her shaking head tightly and muttering 'no no no' to herself.

"Why are you here, Ruby?" Summer's tone sounded confused. "Why did you follow me here?" Summer discarded her cloak to reveal that she was naked underneath it, with a bloody hole gouged in her abdomen, where her _womb_ should have been, sickening Ruby. "Why did you have to follow me here?" Summer was pleading now.

"I...I don't...I don't understand..." Ruby cried. "I..."

"Do you remember when William told you to go home and live happily?" Summer asked. "Did you understand why he would say that to you?"

"I...it was because he thought I wasn't cut out to be huntress," Ruby replied hesitantly. "Wasn't it?" She smiled nervously, "I mean a lot of people take one look at me and-."

Summer's smile became a sad one. "He wanted to _save_ you." She stretched her arms wide. "From all of _this_." Ruby gasped when she hadn't considered that. Her 'mother' opened her eyelids to reveal the empty sockets within, her blood like crimsons tears. "And now that you've joined him in sharing his torment, _We_ will never leave you."

"... _we_?" Ruby swallowed. Suddenly the ground underneath her erupted underneath her feet as veiny, bloodsoaked demonic hands reached up and grabbed her by the arms and legs. "AH! NO!" She felt herself beginning to sink into the viscera as he mother 'watched' on, that same sad smile on her face. Ruby reached out to her, "MOM!"

It proved futile as 'Summer' just watched as she was pulled into the gore. "Don't fight it," she said. "It's where we'll all go now we're damned." Ruby gritted his teeth as she struggled, another hand shooting out to grab her by the wrist and giving it a hard twist, snapping the bone and causing her to painfully scream. "This is what waits for us at the end – all the pain, the guilt, our sins pile up, _**pulling**_ us down toward our own personal _Hell_."

"No!" Ruby screeched. "I-I didn't...this isn't what I...NO!" She was up to her shoulder in gore when she saw that Summer wasn't smiling anymore. "MOM!"

Ruby was up to her chin now as Summer was pleading with her now, "Please, Ruby. Come _rot_ in Hell with me."

"YANG!"

Her head went under...

" _ **WILLIAM!"**_

(RWBY)

Vale Emergency Services descended upon Beacon Academy minutes after the all-clear had been given and the last Imp corpse laid splattered on the grass. A field hospital had been sat up on the grounds outside the academy, students laid out on stretchers on the grass, all with grotesque injuries and missing limbs between them waiting to be brought into one of several dozen lsrge tents with staff waiting to do their best to treat injuries inflicted by denizens of an alternate dimension. Huntsmen and law enforcement packing Dust-infused ammunition in their guns manned barricades on the cliffside facing the Emerald Forest, anticipating that the Grimm would be attracted to the clouds of misery that had blanketed Beacon. And they Grimm came, drawn to that misery and they were met by those that waited for them on the cliffs.

It was in the middle of the afternoon when...

 _ **(Medical Tent, Beacon Academy Grounds)**_

" _ **GAAAAAAHHHHH**_ _!_ SHIT...THAT'S _SMARTS_!" Yang screamed as the doctor applied antibacterial solution to her chest wound, herself held down by her arms and legs on the table by several nurses. She could actually hear the hissing sound as the solution burnt away at the infection settling in, the smell invading her nostrils reminding her of burnt demon and it felt like she was being burnt from the inside out "Why isn't...my... Aura...!?"

"Your Aura is _still_ depleted, Ms. Xiao Long! You're suffering from severe Aura exhaustion," The doctor hurriedly replied. "We still need to treat the wound until it replenishes itself, then you will be able to heal normally." The doctor swallowed as he continued sadly, "But it's going to leave a scar."

Yang grinned painfully, "Like I care." She sounded proud when she added, "It just means a whole evil dimension can't take me down." She stopped smiling when she saw Ruby lying on a cot nearby, still unconscious. Her blood-soaked clothing had been cut off her was currently burning in a fire at the back of the field hospital, leaving her in a white slip. "Hey, what's wrong with my sister?"

"She's fines. She's just unconscious," the doctor replied. "She just needs rest."

The doc figurately bit his tongue when Ruby started screaming in her sleep, squeezing herself into a fetal position as she cried out in agony, digging her fingers into her arms. Sisterly instinct kicked as she practically flew off the table, knocking the nurses back as she was upon sister in a heartbeat and gently shaking her. "Ruby, wake up!" Her eyes went red when she saw the other doctors and nurses approach them, "You stay away!"

"MOM!" Ruby cried out.

Yang shook her a bit harder, "Ruby, you need to wake up!"

"Ms. Xiao Long..." the doctor shouted. "That's not the way to-"

Ruby sounded like was suffocating when came to, Yang patting her back and she coughed loudly and swallowing the saliva she had been choking. Ruby sobbed as she wiped her mouth, eyes widening in seeming disbelief when she saw that Yang was kneeling beside her cot. "YANG!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her older sister's chest and started crying against her chest.

"Ruby, it's ok sis," Yang sounded unprepared for her sister's reaction. "Everything's ok. We saved Beacon."

"I...I saw Mom..." Ruby cried. "They...her eyes, her stomach. They hurt her-"

"Shhh...it's ok, you were just having a nightmare," Yang hushed her, though herself was visibly trying to keep it together, the thought of Summer Rose – the woman who raised her – with her eyes and her womb torn from her body almost making her retch. "Just a nightmare."

Choking back a sob Ruby leaned back to see the reassuring smile on Yang's face, "Blake? Weiss?"

"They're fine. They're... _somewhere_ ," Yang said.

"You're still hurt."

Yang grinned painfully and pulled her vest over her exposed chest, "It's nothing."

"William?"

"Huh?"

Ruby sniffed. She really needed him here with her, "Where's William?"

"That's what I want to know," all eyes turned to see Velvet standing in the tent's entryway. Looking at Ruby's face Ve;vet swallowed as she tried to not break down herself beneath the strain underneath a miserable atmosphere. "Professor Goodwich sent me to find him. Professor Ozpin wants to talk to him."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Somewhere behind a shed...)**_

The hospital clothes William had been wearing under his Praetor suit was stained and reeked with his sweat but William wasn't eager to take them off either as he hosed his armor down, the blood mixing with water as they ran off into the grass nearby. His armaments were off to the side each lying on a sheet of cloth and his chainsaw was dissembled, all the grounded-up, stinking flesh that had been stuck in the mechanisms removed and reeking in a nearby bucket.

"..." William felt insulted when he sensed someone else was watching him, and thought she was being stealthy about it. He balled his fist, "Cat." And swung it behind himself, stopping inches away from Blake's face, her hand just about to reach for Gambol Shroud's grip."

Blake's breath was caught in her throat, her eyes went wide and she thought she was starting to shiver from fright. "When?" she quietly asked. "When did you-?"

"Your eyes," William frowned, lowering his fist. "Your kind only has em'."

"My 'kind' ?" anger found its way into Blake's voice as she glared at him, not lowering her hand away from her blade, "And do you have a problem with my 'kind'?"

"Ones that try to kill me, sure," William said. "Lot of em' _tried_."

Blake's eyes widened, "...you killed them?"

"Not _where_ I came from," William said. " _Here_ , only the ones that didn't get away," William looked over at 'his' chainsaw.

"Marlowe? He'd never let his weapon of his sight," suddenly Blake felt sick at the fought of the Slayer going after the White Fang, and all the ways he slaughtered Grimm and the demons inflicting them upon the Faunus. "What did you do to him?"

"Cut him," William answered. "Low." He paused as Blake shivered lightly at the implications of what he had just said. He decided to press her further. "Bull half-breed cut me." A growl followed, "Put two in his kneecaps." He became pensive when he thought back to...those early years of his life, causing him to mutter, "Mille homines a poenarum in bestia et potestas humana stimulatur..."

Blake swallowed and her hand gripped the hilt of Gambol Shroud, believing what he said was aimed at her, "What?"

 _A thousand torments on the beast who challenges humanity's sovereignty.  
_ _ **\- Extract from The Sacred Text of The Silvered Law of Argent D'Nur**_

 _He...he fought Adam?_ Blake felt terrified. _And he managed to hurt him?_ Blake saw that William was eyeing her hand that was on Gambol Shroud's hilt. "Why?"

"Beasts killed innocents," William replied, his bones in his hand cracking as it slowly made a fist. "Had to die."

Blake felt that anger return, "Beasts? Is that how you view the Faunus?"

"..." Blake gritted her teeth when he didn't answer her. William's narrowed his eyes, "You feelin' guilty runnin' with em'?"

Blake frowned and looked down at the ground, loosening her grip on her weapon, "They...Adam went too far. I couldn't stay, not while the White Fang's the way it is."

"You're White Fang?" Blake gasped when she realized she had given herself away. William looked disappointed, "You ran away?"

Blake knew where this was going. "There's nothing I can do, alright?!" she shot back louder than intended, causing her to cover her mouth. Her breath hitched in her throat when William leaned in close.

"Bull. _Shit_ ," William emphasized each word. "Plenty you can do." He relaxed his fists and stepped over towards the chainsaw, getting down on one knee reaching inside to discard the empty vial of Dust that was powering it, producing a vial of Lightning Dust and plugging it into the machinery before reassembling the chainsaw, his vulnerable back turned to Blake. "Bad things'll come this way soon, _Cat_. Goin' to stick around when they do?"

Blake would have answered if Velvet hadn't turned the corner of the shed and saw them, "Blazkowicz?"

"..." William turned to her head toward Velvet without a word.

"Yeah...uh...Professor Goodwitch asked me to escort you to Beacon Tower and the Headmaster's office-"

"Hey..."

William turned back in time to see Blake dump a bucket of water of him, drenching him head to toe and leaving his already tight-fitting clothes to accentuate the muscles on his body and giving both Blake and Velvet a close-up of how ripped the Doom Slayer really was. Velvet blushed heavily and looked away, shooting Blake a look of disapproval as she tossed the bucket aside.

"You smell like death," Blake pointed out snidely. "And it's Blake Belladonna, not..." Remembering Velvet was just standing there, " _What_ you were calling me earlier."

"..." William just stared at Blake quietly, the water dripping from his hair. He glared at her, "Blake Belladonna."

"William J. Blazkowicz III," Blake scowled right back before walking away, leaving a wet Blazkowicz standing before a very confused rabbit Faunus.

"Did I interrupt anything between you guys?" Velvet asked.

"..." William didn't answer her as picked up the cuirass of his Praetor suit. Seeing that she was still watching he cleared his throat, causing Velvet to gasp and turned around as William pulled his wet shirt over his head.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Headmaster's Office, Beacon Tower)**_

" _You haven't tried raising him?"_

"Believe me James, we've dialed him at least a hundred times since last night. Qrow's not going to be part of this meeting-"

"Typical."

"Glynda, Ironwood, please. You were saying, Leo?"

" _They...they carved a rune into his forehead, nailed him upside down and then they burnt him alive. Gods...oh gods help us, Ozpin...the cost. What it took to stop them, the cost was too high..."_

Sitting at his desk and still wearing his bloodstained uniform Ozpin found himself in a CCTS conference with General Ironwood and Leonardo Lionheart. Both headmasters of Atlas and Haven Academies appeared just as disheveled as Ozpin, except the Beacon and Atlas Headmasters appeared emotionless while the bearded, jittery Headmaster of Haven looked like he trying not to hyperventilate from the stress, and for good reason. It hadn't just been Beacon Academy that was hit by the Slaves of Doom. Mistral, Vacuo and Atlas – Haven, Shade and Atlas Academies, respectively, had been by struck by demonic incursions brought on by a sky-tearing Hellbeam spawned from human sacrifices; Beacon having suffered the worst of it as Deag Grav had personally overseen the assault.

There was no word out of the Kingdom of Vacuo and Shade Academy, a complete communications blackout. The demons must have hit their CCTS communications array; all Ozpin had gotten was visual static. And all that added to the unease everyone in conference was feeling. "Calm down, Leo," Ozpin said. "You're alive. Your students are alive. That's the important thing."

" _The Relic, Ozpin, Ironwood! Those monsters_ _ **knew**_ _about it!"_ Leonardo exclaimed. _"They almost focused exclusively on the Grand Hall, trying to claw their way into the vault. Thank the gods they didn't seem know how to open it."_

"Gentlemen, they were testing our defenses," Ozpin said. "They wanted to see how fast and how hard we would respond to an incursion. And I daresay we gave them what they wanted and when they come back it will be in greater numbers, with members of their higher castes fighting alongside them. We won't be so fortunate next time."

Ironwood gritted his teeth, _"We should be thankful they didn't_ _ **have**_ _the numbers to overwhelm the whole campus otherwise we wouldn't be speaking to one another right now. We lost more huntsmen and students due to surprise, but after we destroyed their...Gore Nest or whatever it's called, they scattered and we managed to mop the strugglers before they could escape the academy grounds."_

" _No such thing here. Like I said we lost many trying to close their portal, not many were left alive for a counterattack"_ Leonardo mopped his forehead with a cloth. _"The demons fled the academy and into the forests of Mistral. The council were about to organize scouring parties after them but then the Grimm attacked!"_

Ironwood covered his face with his hand and sighed, _"The demon invasions have triggered frenzies everywhere within the kingdoms."_ He put his hand down and gritting his teeth. _"Right now, I'm receiving reports of Grimm encroachments on coastal towns and settlements and about a hundred of them and trying to scale the cliffs and head straight for the most populous cities, including the capital. Atlas council wants our coastal defenses moved inland-"_

"That will leave the towns _along_ the coast defenseless," Ozpin pointed out.

" _...the council knows that,"_ Ironwood looked resigned. _"Evacuations are in progress and I've pulled every Huntsman in the kingdom to assist but..."_ Ironwood shook his head, _"More people are going to die and there's no way we'll be able to cover this up now once the tabloids follow the trail of corpses. We are now officially fighting a war on_ _two_ _fronts."_

"Salem and her Grimm," Ozpin nodded, "And this Dark Lord of the Fourth Age and his Slaves of Doom."

" _What does this Dark Lord want with Remnant?"_ Leonardo dared to ask. _"Would use would he have with the Relics?"_

" _Not just the Relics. The Maidens,"_ Ironwood clarified. _"If you've been going through the codex Ozpin forwarded you you'd know they're after power-"_

" _Yes, similar to these Wraiths,"_ Leonardo said. _"These godlike beings from another world. Another world!"_ Suddenly an uncharacteristic amount of venom was in Leonardo's voice, _"You're not ignoring the fact Blakzowicz, the so-called Doom Slayer, has brought his holy war here and has endangered the lives of every man, woman and child on Remnant?"_

Ironwood shook his head, _"There's nothing remotely 'holy' about what's happened, Lionheart."_

"And judging by the level of coordination on the demons' part during attacks on the academies it's a fair bet they've known about Remnant and what it has to offer for some time," Ozpin added. "Perhaps for the longest time, even."

" _As long as_ you've _been alive, Oz?"_ Ironwood asked, genuinely curious.

"...perhaps," Ozpin nodded. "And perhaps even Blazkowicz?"

" _Do you actually believe these 'Slayer's Testaments'?"_ Leonardo stated in disbelief. _"That's there's someone older than recorded history itself fighting a seemingly endless battle against an entire evil dimension?"_

"It would be no different than all the myths and legends surrounding Remnant's history," Glynda said.

" _But our stories have some basis in reality. There's absolute truth to be found,"_ Leonardo countered, sounding desperate to disprove what he was hearing. _"I...I mean-"_

"Leo, I understand your anxiety. But we cannot deny what had just stepped all over our own doorsteps. Those testaments were written by a formerly unknown enemy, and with a reserved amount of respect and perhaps even admiration on their part," Ozpin reasoned. "Therefore, they are real. This person is real, especially if he in question has _silver_ eyes."

" _...so they're not completely gone, then?"_ Leonardo said.

" _The silver eyes are universal amongst humanity?"_ Ironwood added. _"This Argent D'Nur was a whole civilization of them?"_

"From what I gather only a subset of Blazkowicz's homeworld had silver eyes, and they were the protectors of their world's own embodiment of the seasons," Ozpin said. "Until _they_ were betrayed."

"..." Glynda rolled her eyes down as she clutched her scroll tighter to her chest. "Would that explain Blazkowicz's complete _dissociation_ from the destruction he causes? From whomever gets caught in the middle of it all?"

"I only had to take one look at him, and I see someone with absolutely _nothing_ to lose," Ozpin said. "Yet mindful of what _everyone_ else stands to lose. He throws himself into danger willingly before anyone, taking as many hits as he can away from everyone else. I would say we're not just dealing with the most dangerous man on Remnant, but also the most _empathetic_."

" _And that makes him even more of a risk,"_ Ironwood declared. _"If he knew about the Maidens and the Relics-"_

"I know, James," Ozpin nodded. "He would destroy them just to deny the enemy their power. And that's all the more reason to bring him into the _fold_ , to make sure he doesn't try to act on that impulse."

" _You're really serious about this, Ozpin?"_ Leonardo's anxiety made it look like he would keel over at any second from stress. _"You need to be mindful about_ _what_ _we're dealing with here."_

"We reveal to him just enough to satisfy his curiosity on what kind of power there is to find on Remnant," Ozpin said. "As far as he knows there are only Maidens on Remnant just as there were Wraiths on Argent D'Nur. We dissuade him from believing that they have to be sacrificed on the off-chance they fall into our enemies' hands, to remind him that they each have power similar to his beloved Wraiths and are worthy of his protection." He let what he just said sink in, "As for Salem..."

" _She's another enemy for him to kill,"_ Ironwood finished. _"Her, and every person under her sway. I've seen the way he works and I almost feel sorry for any traitor he gets his hands on."_ He closed his eyes and breathed in, grimly. _"It wouldn't be a quick death, that's for sure."_

" _Uh...yes, quite,"_ Leonardo cleared his throat. _"James, you said you've seen how he works before the catastrophe occurred? Was it in Vale?"_

" _It was...pure coincidence,"_ Ironwood said. _"Atlas troops were on a training mission, with the Vale Council's permission of course, and they encountered Blazkowicz in the forests surrounded by Grimm, and he was slaughtering them. My men attempted first contact, they reported his behavior and movements were...erratic, and afterward he attacked them with his fists. They had to pile on him long enough for the medics to sedate him-"_

"And you transferred him to one of your little 'black sites' scattered around the kingdoms," Glynda cut in, unhappily. "The facility in question was part of Atlas Research and Development-"

Ironwood sighed, _"Yes. And as stated before the Atlas Council scrutinized Blazkowicz's combat efficiency and wanted him rehabilitated and conditioned to become a part of the military."_ The general became silent, clasping his hands together. _"We missed out on an opportunity to turn an actual superhuman over to our cause without any undue...incident."_

Ozpin didn't like what he was hearing and he lit it be known. "You're talking about attempting to mentally break a human being, Ironwood."

" _And was it any wonder his rage was potent enough to drive every Grimm in the Kingdom of Vale into a frenzy?"_ Leonardo said. _"The Doom Slayer is a wild card, and so is this Union Aerospace Corporation that sent him here."_

"That reminds me," Ozpin said. "You didn't find _where_ exactly Blazkowicz stumbled out of it by any chance, James?"

" _Pardon?"_

"The UAC has a monopoly on what they call interdimensional _tethering_ and it is based around whatever arcane technology the D'Nurian civilization had," Ozpin reminded everyone. "They discovered it on another planet in their dimension, Mars, and that was where-"

" _Yes, where they discovered the interdimensional tear between their reality and Hell,"_ Ironwood interjected impatiently. Quickly recomposing himself Ironwood continued, _"We...we scoured Blazkowicz's location and found one of the chambers described in the UAC codex. I..."_

Ozpin blinked. Glynda crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes down at Ironwood's image, "Yes?"

" _The chamber was in what we thought was an ancient Vale ruin. After the black site was destroyed I ordered it sealed, records of the training mission deleted, all surveillance data purged and I personally swore my men who took part to silence,"_ Ironwood explained. _"Wherever it was the Doom Slayer came from, it was not worth investigating further, and in light of all this new information it as the right call."_

"I would have preferred if you had told me this before today," Ozpin stated with a hint of disapproval.

" _I have to look out for Atlas' interests as well, Ozpin,"_ Ironwood said. _"If I thought what we discovered would prove beneficial for Atlas and could be controlled I would have informed the Atlas council-"_

"While keeping the rest of us in the dark," Glynda responded scornfully. "You're _honest_ , I'll give you that."

" _Nothing personal Glynda, Ozpin, Leonardo."_

Leonardo shook his head and rubbed his temples, _"What was just said implies the D'Nurian civilization sat foot on Remnant at one point if they left their teleportation experiment lying dormant where we weren't supposed to find them."_

"Almost like Argent D'Nur wasn't just confined to just their world but an entire interdimensional empire," Ozpin smiled. If that was true than the prospect of uncovering something that suggests the realms of mankind weren't each stuck on their respective worlds excited him. D'Nurian civilization existing on Remnant before even him, that wasn't something one could easily brush aside.

" _You're suggesting the fall of Argent D'Nur is part of Remnant pre-history?"_ Ironwood swallowed. _"This...this is overwhelming, Ozpin."_

" _And dangerous,"_ Leonardo added. _"Who knows how the world would respond to all this, much less the councils of every kingdom on Remnant."_

Glynda's scroll beeped, indicating that it had just received a message. The bespectacled blond professor said as much, "Blazkowicz is on his way here."

Ozpin nodded, "We should settle accounts with the Vale Council before he arrives, including whether Vale should reconsider hosting this year's Vytal Festival." He smiled, "Good thing I've had them on hold this entire time before I called this meaning."

Glynda rolled her eyes while Leonardo cringed and Ironwood looked outraged, _"You what?"_

 _ **(Beacon Tower Lobby)**_

The bodies were still being carried out of the lobby and the blood being washed off the walls and floors when William and Velvet entered. "Ugh...!" Velvet covered her nose and mouth as her Faunus senses bombarded her with the 'stench of death.' "That's..."

"..." William stepped toward the elevator, leaving Velvet to gag on the smell of blood and shit before she caught up to him and flashed her scroll at the scanner near the lift before the two of them stepped into the elevator. Silence followed the two of them as they ascended up towards the Headmaster's office, Velvet relieved to breathing untainted oxygen, right beside Blazkowicz who just stared ahead at the door, unmoving.

"You...uh...don't really mind all the violence, do you?" Velvet quietly asked. She tensed when William didn't dignify that with a reply. "I mean that's good for keeping your nerve in a hostile situation but if...if..." Believing that William wasn't paying attention to her she sighed in frustration, "I get it, you don't want to talk to me. I...I understand."

"..."

"Because I'm a Faunus and-"

"What's bein' _beastkin_ got to do with it?" William opening his mouth nearly causing Velvet to jump back with fright.

 _Beastkin?_ Velvet thought. "Sorry, I just thought you didn't like-"

"You're people too, ain't you?"

Velvet's eyes widened when she realized he didn't mind that fact she was a Faunus. "Not a lot of humans tend to say that."

 _ **++Ergo people should not have to,++**_ VEGA put his two cents forth. _**++Judgement based on a person's appearance is counterproductive and ultimately meaningless.++**_

"What he said," William added.

Velvet wasn't prepared for how indifferent William and an AI really were to the fact she just happened to have rabbit ears. She smiled, "That _was_ a dumb question, wasn't it? Asking if you really don't mind being waist deep in your enemy's blood."

"...yep."

Velvet felt her cheeks burn.

 _ **(Headmaster's Office)**_

" _Hell?! Demons from Hell, Ozpin?! You have nerve you put us on hold just so you can some concoct science fiction?!"_

"Fiction? Hardly, councilors," Ozpin leaned back in his chair, quietly reveling in the councilman's disbelief, "And why not? The Grimm exist so why not an entire dimension full of things worse than them?" He looked at the councilors with a dead serious glint in his eyes, "In the interest of not going back and forth with denial, dragging this out and wasting valuable time would you kindly explain the cause of a pillar of hellish light to blow of the ceiling of the amphitheater, transforming many of my students into possessed abominations and summoning monsters from another realm?"

" _...I...these so-called demons have to be a new kind of Grimm?"_ the councilors were visibly sweating. _"There's...no other explanation-IRONWOOD!"_ Shouting followed.

Ironwood shook his head, " _Apologies, sir. But Atlas and Mistral councils can confirm this coordinated attack on the academies were perpetuated by a previously unknown enemy force. The Union Aereospace codex forwarded to you also confirms the existence of humanity on three other worlds – Earth, Mars and Argent D'Nur-"_

The Vale councilmen kept up the denial, _"Yes we received this compilation. And it's an obvious farce."_ Ozpin closed his eyes, quietly sighing as frustration slowly sat in. _"Humanity has always only existed on Remnant. And always will."_

"Yet our guest's existence proves otherwise. Speaking of whom," Ozpin turned toward the elevator and smiled as the doors opened. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the so-called 'Grimm Marine' – William J. Blazkowicz."

Holographic displays of Ironwood, Leonardo and the Vale Council appeared in the center of the room as Glynda walked towards the elevator as William and Velvet stepped into Ozpin's office. Velvet cringed at the sight of so many important looking people on holo-viewscreens looking her way and took a step back behind William. "Thank you for escorting him here, Ms. Scarlatina," Glynda addressed the rabbit Faunus. "You may go attend to your team."

"Yes, ma'am," Velvet nodded. She spared William a sideward glance and a smile and she stepped right back into the elevator, sighing with relief when the door closed and took her back down to ground level, where everything made more sense.

"..." William himself wasn't prepared for a conference like this. "The hell is _this,_ Ozpin?" he abruptly voiced his displeasure at being put on the spot.

"Blazkowicz!" Glynda was displeased at his lack of reverence towards those present. "Could you please try to act respectful towards the people present? They're the Vale Council and the Headmasters of Atlas and Haven Academies, these are people in authority and this is your chance to resolve any issues we still have with you." Glynda frowned, "You can start by removing your hel-UH!" William took his helmet off and shoved it in Glynda's hands, nearly causing her to drop her scroll, leaving her to gawk angrily at William's audacity as he stepped forward.

The reactions on everyone present were telling. Ironwood looked at the Doom Slayer with barely restrained contempt, Leonardo appeared wary, scared even, of the scarred young-looking man missing a part of his ear and the councilors looked apprehensive at the individual the Atlas Council had revealed to them was the cause of the first Grimm frenzy, and he looked the part – a battle-hardened, armored soldier hefting an entire arsenal with him and the way he was looking at them like he already hated them on sight. His hair looking damp and the spiky points of each strand folding backward just made him all the more intimidating.

The contempt was mutual. _"William Joseph Blaze-Ko-Witz, was it?"_ one of the councilors awkwardly pronounced his name. _"What kind of name is-."_

"It's _mine_!" William interjected coldly, left eye twitching at the butchering of his family name. "You wanna live? Shut up an' listen to what we have to say."

" _Wha...uh? Who do you think we are, young man?!"_

William tilted his head, and narrowed his eyes, "Fucked?"

Whether to make sure William wouldn't say anything else out of line or if it believed it would be able to explain themselves better, VEGA intervened. _**++Vale Council. General Ironwood. Headmaster Lionheart. I am VEGA.++**_

Ironwood frowned, _"The artificial intelligence."_

" _You're in possession of an AI, Ozpin?!"_ the council thundered. _"You know the charter concerning the proper use of artificial intelligence!"_

"It's in Blazkowicz's possession actually, councilor," Ozpin clarified. "And I would suggest you pay attention to whatever it has to say."

 _ **++Thank you, Professor,++**_ VEGA stated. _**++Gentlemen, this dimension has been struck with what the Union Aerospace Corporation has labelled as Level 4 Widescale Untethered Cross Dimensional Event on a planetary scale – a prelude to full-scale demonic invasion.++**_

Ironwood cleared his throat, _"...yes."_ Rather than reveal he knew beforehand of the demonic threat to the Vale council he instead said, _"That's...if I was told something like this would happen I would not have believed-."_

" _Don't insult our intelligence Ironwood,"_ the councilor abruptly declared. _"The Atlas Council informed us that it's military was in the progress of being deployed towards its borders. You knew this was coming, you were preparing for it and you didn't think to reach out to the other kingdoms and warn them?"_

" _It was in response to the Grimm incursion in Vale in case the same thing happened in Atlas,"_ Ironwood replied. _"I would never think to hide anything credible from you, councilors."_ VEGA contemplated whether to reveal the existence of the Maidens, but a split-second consensus shot that down. _"But now we need to focus on this new threat."_ Ironwood turned to William and VEGA, _"How do we fight the forces of Hell?"_

" _Any_ way you can," William replied. "Shoot em', stab em', strangle em'. They bleed. They die."

" _But how do we stop them from invading Remnant?"_ Leonardo nervously inquired. _"By that I mean how do we stop them for good?"_

"..." judging from the way William rolled his eyes downward to look at the floor he didn't have an answer to that.

 _ **++Unlikely it is that the kingdoms has the means, any attempts to breach the dimensional barrier to launch a counter-invasion on their world is ill-advised,++**_ VEGA explained. Ozpin, Glynda and William noted how Ironwood scowled at that truth. _**++Hell sustains itself through the assimilation of other dimensions and if a permanent, sustainable gateway was established the demons would overrun Remnant in no short amount of time.++**_

" _Portals had already been opened and we managed to close them,"_ Leonardo said. _"We killed all the demons that came through and the ones that managed to escape we can track them down easily enough."_

"We're talkin' _Hell_ Portals, big enough to merge worlds, an' the power it takes to create em'," William glimpsed at Ozpin, and how disapproving he looked. "The power of-"

 _ **++Something more than ordinary people being sacrificed for their Aura,++**_ VEGA cut William off, causing the Doom Slayer to scowl. _**++If this planet has the means to generate power, they will find it.++**_

" _How? We've fought them off!"_ the council shot back. _"How could more of them cross over to our world?"_

"You forget, councilors, the portals were opened from _this_ side," Ozpin said. "An occult group in Marysville summoned a demon Blazkowicz identified as 'Deag Grav', the mastermind behind the fall of D'Nur, the attacks on the schools and what the codex described as a 'Hell Priest'. He opened a gateway at Beacon, and its probable other likeminded demon worshippers opened gates at Atlas, Haven and Shade Academies."

The Vale councilmen paled, _"Y-you mean there's...collaborators within the kingdoms? But...but why would they-?"_

"Hell will offer you anythin' to get its way," William groused. "Anythin' you've ever wanted." The anger on his face looked cold enough to chill Glynda to the bone, "An' you'll _want_ to accept it."

Leonardo sounded cautious when he asked, _"You know this for sure? How?"_

"..." William didn't answer...

" _B.J...why is daddy sad? What happened to mommy..."_

" _..."_

" _Are you crying, B.J?"_

" _..."_

" _...where's mommy?"_

And Ozpin guess this was a sore point for them, and it seemed ill-advised to pursue it. "I'm not recommending we form an inquisition but we need to locate these occult groups, where they congregate and _deal_ with them."

 _ **++Dr. Olivia Pierce of the UAC sought godhood through collaborating with the demons,++**_ VEGA said. _**++They turned on her, and they will eventually dispose of any human or Faunus to ally themselves with Hell.++**_

"Kill em'," William said with finality. "You kill _them_ all." The urgency could be felt behind each word, especially how he bothered to pronounce each one clearly.

" _Out of the question,"_ Ironwood said. _"We interrogate any occultist we come across, and we determine their size of the strength, numbers and where they draw their power."_ Ironwood addressed William, skeptically. _"My guess through the use of these runes etched in blood at the portal sites."_ He narrowed his eyes, _"Like the ones on your body, Blazkowicz."_

No one liked where this going. "They _belong_ to D'Nur," William explained. "Demons stole em', tainted them." He flexed his hands, making sure the Professors present remembered he had runes etched on his palms. Leveling a glare at Ironwood he stated, "The ones I've got mark me as Night Sentinel..."

 _ **++You have nothing to fear from either Blakzowicz or from me. Our purposes are the preservation of humanity.-.++**_

" _Your emotions make your dangerous, 'Doom Slayer',"_ Ironwood stated matter-of-factly. _"And that's the truth. It's because of Ozpin vouching for you that you're not in a state of mental inactivity-"_

"I'd have broken out," William interrupted, surprising the general, and perhaps unsettling him a bit.

" _...that would have been highly unlikely,"_ Ironwood retorted, his voice no longer calm and slightly raised when he thought William was beginning to question the apex that was the Kingdom of Atlas. _"You would have been kept in one of our secured labs deep within Atlas, surrounded by a contingent of our elite guards-"_

"All of em' _corpses_ ," Ironwood gritted his teeth when William cut him off again, now angry.

 _ **++Blazkowicz,++**_ VEGA tried to cut in. _**++William...++**_

"Blazkowicz!" Glynda exclaimed, seeing the enmity brew between the two of them. "General, I-"

" _You'd kill men and women performing their duties toward their kingdom?"_ Ironwood bellowed, forgetting himself. _"You really believe that you would stand a chance against the full might of the Atlesian military?!"_

"You'd send em' against me?" William shrugged. "Sure."

Ozpin cleared his throat, "James..."

" _I have a responsibility towards protecting the kingdoms, Blazkowicz,"_ Ironwood fired back. _"The second you're deemed a liability-"_

"You stay-"

" _I said: When you're_ _ **deemed**_ _a liabil-"_

" _ **YOU STAY OUT OF MY**_ _ **WAY**_ _ **!"**_

William suddenly roared, causing Glynda to jump back in fright, Leonardo to gasp and nearly collapse out of his chair clutching chest from fright, the Vale councilors to nearly fall over themselves and Ironwood to suddenly go pale at seeing the Doom Slayer, now gritting his teeth and visibly seething, no longer being cold about his rage, but hot enough for him to express it as a man briefly unleashing millennia worth of anger and frustration, evident by the silver in eyes becoming more _pronounced._

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, however, appearing nonplussed. _So much anger in him. Is it just because of his war against Hell? Or is there also something else?"_

William closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. _Count to four. Inhale. Count to four. Exhale._ Opening his eyes as he breathed out, the silver went back to their usual dull grey.

 **++Cooperation advances mutual goals, and they are all in the interests of humanity – the GREATER humanity. Humans, Faunus, Artificial Intelligence – our fates will ultimately the same if Remnant, and Earth, are conquered by Hell: Oblivion,++** VEGA's computerized voice was distorted by its urgency to make the humans see reason. _**++I implore all of you to not allow your human tendencies toward mutual distrust and fear**_ **to cloud your judgements.++** The AI paused. _ **++I allowed myself to be sacrificed to allow Blazkowicz passage to Hell one last time to slow their advance across dimenions. My purpose is the preservation of mankind. You have nothing to fear from me.++**_

"..." William pursed his lips. "Or me." A tiny smirk tugged the corner of William's mouth. "We done measurin' our cocks, Ironwood?"

Glynda lifted her scroll up her to mouth as she tried to withhold a guffaw. Ironwood glared, not dignifying what William just said with an answer.

The Vale Council tried to find their voices after listening to such a statement, and from an artificial intelligence no less. _"We grant William J. Blazkowicz and VEGA asylum and all the protections that come with it, provided they pledge their services towards the protection of the Kingdom of Vale. For now."_ Ozpin smiled. _"The matter is closed. Next order of business: Beacon Academy."_

"The school will remain open," Ozpin said matter-of-factly. "The students and faculty will be given one week to compose themselves and settle affairs, enough time to bury the dead, transport the demon's bodies for immediate study and determine the teams the First-Year students will be organized into based on their performance during the battle to hold Beacon." He looked grim. "This first battle was their Initiation, and as far I'm concerned they have all passed."

" _Settled. Next order of business: The Vytal Festival,"_ the council went on. _"It will proceed as plan. We will not allow the tragedies of these past few days to disrupt the festivities. Hell will not have the satisfaction of our celebrating the peace we earned decades ago. Hell and the Grimm for the matter."_

"...I agree," Ozpin nodded.

"What?" William flatly cut in.

" _Though we would feel a lot safer if we host additional security during the events. General Ironwood?"_

Ironwood bowed with his arm across his chest, _"I am honored. Atlas has already pledged its service toward Vale."_

" _Then these proceedings are closed," the Vale council said. "Blazkowicz?"_ The councilors' eyes the Doom Slayer wearily. _"Consider the next few weeks your chance to prove yourself. We deal with enough monsters on Remnant, we don't need_ _one_ _more."_

"..." the pricks had to have the last word, huh? The Vale Council's screen disappeared.

"I never imagined an AI would prove to have more sense than everyone in this room," Glynda huffed. "Ozpin?"

"James, Leo..." both Ironwood and Leonardo nodded and their screens disappeared as well. Now, William," he smiled. "We should take about the Elemental Wraiths of D'Nur." William quietly regarded Ozpin, already knowing whatever the professor was going to say would piss him off. "What if was to tell you that there are special _beings_ on Remnant that can also wield the power of the seasons-?"

"One of em' attacked me last night," William was once again blunt. " _Autumn_ tried scorchin' me."

This drew both Ozpin and Glynda's interests in a heartbeat. Glynda sounded nervous when she asked, "What did you say?"

William glowered at the two of them Noticing that his helmt was still in Glynda's hand he reached forward and snatched it back, putting it back on and earning himself a stern look from the blonde professor. "You said somethin' about 'special beings?'"

Ozpin sighed, "I think it would be better if we _showed_ you."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Headmasters Office, Haven Academy)  
(City of Mistral)  
(Kingdom of Mistral)**_

It was nighttime over at the Kingdom of Vale. Leonardo was sitting alone with his elbows on his desk and his hands over his head, eyes closed as he tried to stop himself from hyperventilating out of fear; which proved difficult as he could vaguely hear the sound of gunfire erupt through the city as it fought off the Grimm frenzy the demon invasions had triggered, and his office was completely trashed, demonic blood still staining the walls from the monsters he had killed, their bodies having being moved out of his office some time ago and incinerated in a massive pyre that was still burning in the center of the Academy's main courtyard.

Mercenary. Angry. Rude. Hateful. Psychotic. Homicidal. _Genocidal_. William Joseph Blazkowicz III was exactly the kind of people _Salem_ had cajoled into following her, and Ozpin had sunk as low to indenture someone inadvertently responsible for so much death and destruction through Vale in this new war against Hell itself. And unlike the secret war being fought against Her, Ozpin had no qualms rallying the kingdoms against an interdimensional invasion; no doubt realizing it wouldn't take just him and his little inner circle to hold the demonic tides back.

That would be the Doom Slayer's job. And in due, Ozpin's striking hand against Salem herself. And once Blazkowicz found out he was a traitor to Ozpin's cause. _He won't understand why I had to...he'll kill me when he finds out about...about...!_ Leonardo was shaking as he bit into his thumb. _And if...if She finds out about Him before I have the chance to warn her, she'll...she'll think I kept his existence secret..._

He couldn't decide whom he was more afraid of: Blazkowicz or _Her_ , until remembered about the _Seer_ waiting for him in the secret chamber beside his office.

 _ **(Said Secret Chamber...)**_

Stepping through he rubbed is hands nervously. He feared her enough that it would be insane not to inform her of what had been happening in Vale, and what was now happening in the kingdoms. She would most likely know what was happening to her Grimm through Remnant, but not about whom was the cause. Turning the corner he almost seized up at the sight of the Seer Grimm: A small, floating spherical Grimm covered in bone-like plates with red tentacles ending in white, bony barbs and a single eye that instantaneously focused on him, causing Leonardo to flinch.

Leonardo hesitated, before stepping up to the Seer, finding himself into a black void. "Y-your Grace. Are you there?"

For a few moments nothing responded to him. Then, _"Hello, Leonardo. It's not time for you to report in just yet._

"I-I know, but I...I have news," Leonardo stammered. "I've just spoken with Ozpin. He's r-revealed why the Grimm have repeatedly frenzied, beginning in Vale and now within the rest of the kingdoms."

" _Oh? Please, do tell."_

"It...it was a man with silver eyes. A...a warrior not from this world," Leonardo babbled, stretching his hand forward as if in emphasis of his feelings of unbelievability. "General Ironwood kept him in a secured facility but he escaped and...and he had been tearing through Vale until he reached Beacon."

" _...yes. I sensed all that anger within Vale. And from one person? A silver-eyed one, you say?"_

"Yes, ma'am."

" _But he wasn't responsible for the frenzies that occurred today, correct?_

Leonardo shook his head, "It was an _invasion_ , your Grace. M-monsters from another dimension. From _**Hell**_. They launched a simultaneous attack on the academies. T-they were after the Relics, and Ozpin believes they want the Maidens as well," He felt the impulse to urge, "P-please believe me, I-I didn't believe it at first but...but...they followed Blazkowicz here. Their herald searches for the Maidens as we speak and-"

 _Relax, Leonardo. I believe you. Is the Relic of Knowledge secure?_

"Yes," Leonardo nodded. "They didn't h-how to get into the Vault. But Ozpin says it'll only be a matter time for t-they attack again, and we won't be able to withstand another assault." He paused, before cautiously asking, "How does...how does this affect our... _your_ plans, your Grace?"

" _I wasn't expecting competition, much less from the human myth of eternal damnation,"_ the voice on other side sounded confident. _"It will call for some...adjustments to the plan. Now..."_ Leonardo closed his eyes tightly and shivered. _"What was his name?"_

Leonardo opened his eyes, "W-who's, _ma'am_?"

" _The Silver-Eyed Warrior?"_ the voice was impatient. _"He is from another world?"_

"Y-yes, your Grace. His name is William Joseph Blazkowicz III," Leonardo weakly acknowledged. "Ozpin is going to reveal the Maidens him, but not about the Relics. He fears the boy might destroy them if it meant denying either Hell or you their power." Leonardo stared down at the floor, "I don't think he's afraid of what the consequences would be, ma'am." He paused. "He...doesn't fear _anything_."

The Seer floated there, whomever it was controlling it seemingly in thought.

" _...Blazkowicz?"_ the voice properly pronounced his name. Leonardo shivered when he could sense that she was smiling. _"Someone with enough anger inside singlehandedly drive my Grimm to madness, and whom fears nothing?"_ He heard a dark, tremor-inducing chuckle, _"Cinder could use a challenge."_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Heavy on plot and worldbuilding this chapter, get it all out of the way so we can get back to the carnage. And the horror's branching out toward the psychological with regards to Ruby's nightmare and William briefly losing his temper. And I believe Ozpin would try to determine William's character as being 'empathetic' in that he knows what everyone is about to go through and tries to take as many of the hits as possible._

 _It just so happens Tom Hall from id Software confirmed that Doomguy is Commander Keen's son, and B.J. Blazkowicz is his great-grandfather, though in this fic Keen is William's grandfather...I'm treating the Doomguy from the classic games and the Doom Slayer from 2016, William, as two separate characters in case anyone hasn't caught on._

 _Meant to have this chapter out a lot sooner but taking a regimen of gut-busting antibiotics at the same while trying to write kingdom politics and everyone's personalities right tends to affect output somewhat. It was hard trying to figure out what Ozpin would reveal to the Vale council. I wouldn't imagine Ozpin would keep the existence of Hell and the UAC secret, the former because they are already attacking Remnant for all to see and the latter in case they decide to show up and also take the kingdoms by surprise. And VEGA would calculate that Remnant's version of those with the power of the seasons aren't public knowledge and stopped William from mentioning being attacked by Cinder._

 _So in short, this chapter was a bit of a challenge to write; but hopefully it all worked out. What do you think?_

 _Hopefully this fic's new cover art courtesy of the very talented_ _ **xXTheOneGuyXx**_ _can make up for the lateness. ^_^_ _You can find the full-sized version on deviantART._

 _To all those who keep asking: William's getting his higher-end weapons back in a later arc._

 _...I think we can all agree that Sienna Khan's character was wasted in canon. Might have to correct that in this fic._


	12. At Doom's Gate V: Bruises

_**v.1**_

* * *

Glynda thought that William would ask where she and Ozpin were taking him, having descended past ground floor by this point and headed toward the Vault beneath Beacon Academy. Instead he remained quiet as they stood in the elevator, and the silence was beginning to feel like torture, not knowing how the Doom Slayer would react to _whom_ they were about to introduce him to. Also, William stating he was attacked by someone with the 'power' of Autumn meant one thing: The one responsible for her condition was here in Vale and looking to finish the job.

Nearly startled from the sound of William cracking his knuckles as the elevator drew to stop, Glynda followed after Ozpin as the doors opened. William followed a few moments later, heavy boots on the marble floor as he stepped into a vast, underground chamber dimly lit by torches. William glanced around himself at his surroundings.

 _ **++We are directly beneath Beacon Academy,++**_ VEGA broke the silence as he announced the obvious. _**++Professor Ozpin?++**_

Traversing the chamber Ozpin asked, "Tell me, William. How did the Wraiths come to be?"

William snorted, "They didn't."

"No?"

"They've always _been_ ," William's answered proved a bit unnerving for Glynda, but managed to pique Ozpin's interest.

Ozpin smiled, "Do you remember having any favorite fairy tales when you were growing up?"

"No," William replied, not elaborating if he didn't have any favorites or if he couldn't _remember_ having any favorites. "Why?"

"One of _my_ favorites just happens to be relevant to what we're about to show you..."

William felt himself compelled to not let his mind wander as Ozpin related the tale of the Four Maidens – how each of them, through an act of kindness toward some depressed, ancient wizard, were gifted with the powers of the Seasons – Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall – the same powers each of the Elemental Wraiths had - and promised to share their gifts with the world. William attention increased tenfold when he started drawing comparisons between the Wraiths and the Maidens – all noble beings each in control of the seasons and the elemental powers that come with them. Except for the Maiden that attacked him last night, _she_ that wielded the power of Autumn – the Fall Maiden.

William stopped following Ozpin and Glynda, "An' last night?"

Ozpin and Glynda glanced at each other. This would be a lot easier if Qrow and Ironwood were here. "Your suspicions were correct. You were attacked by someone who had the power of Autumn. Or more specifically, someone who has _stolen_ a part of that power." Ozpin thought he heard William's breath hitch, "Blazkowicz?"

"..." William's left hand involuntarily made a fist as his head dipped. That sounded familiar. He resumed following after them, "Keep goin'."

"It was stolen from the true Fall Maiden," Glynda continued. "Stolen from..." They had stopped walking both and both her and Ozpin stepped aside to show William an array of Atlesian life-support machinery. " _Her_." William blinked to make sure he wasn't somehow dreaming, that inside the left pod dressed in only a white tube top and skit was the tanned, amber-eyed young woman that had came to him in a nightmare on the white stallion that pulled him out his misery and told him to head east towards Vale, toward Beacon. To _Her_.

If the Wraiths of D'Nur were the embodiment the Seasons of the First Age, he guessed that the Maidens of Remnant would be this for the Fourth Age. And all this time Ozpin had one of them stowed away at the bottom of Beacon Academy – putting everyone in the school and in Vale in danger from _anyone_ who wanted her power. Like Deag Grav and the demon hordes it summoned for the express purpose of getting its hands on her. William winced when he realized he had been grinding his teeth in anger toward the Headmaster.

"I would like you to meet Amber," Ozpin decided to sound firm toward the Doom Slayer as he introduced the comatose woman. "And I want you to understand what is at stake here-"

"Yeah!" William wasn't in the mood for anyone to act condescendingly toward him. His voice began to feel strained, his vocal cords still feeling the effects of not speaking for an eternity. "An' I know why all those people had to die."

Glynda knew where this was going. She was defensive "You can't blame us for not being prepared for-!"

"Glynda, please," Ozpin waved her silent. "You question why Amber is being kept here?" William answered that with contemptible silence. "And after the events of today I think I understand."

At least Hayden was never this humble over the loss of life on the Mars base. "..."

Each of them frozen when they suddenly heard a weak cough come from the pod, turning to head to see Amber's eyes open, as if Williams' emotions woke her. Ozpin was genuinely stunned to see the Fall Maiden conscious, Glynda dropping her scroll in shock. William approached the pod, putting a hand on the glass. William sighed, remembering when he and the Night Sentinels used to draw power from the Wraiths themselves whenever they fought the demons. To barely sense that power in Amber, it stirred feelings in him long forgotten.

The Fall Maiden smiled weakly. "A...Ave... _Praetor_..." Amber croaked, further throwing Ozpin and Glynda for a loop. "You...came..."

William breathed in and he tried to settle his nerves. He looked stoic as he took his helmet off, eyes closed tightly. Glynda swallowed when she saw that he was trying not to tear up upon hearing his title spoken to him in eternity, the corners of his mouth nearly twisting into a smile before he repressed it. Moving his right arm across his chest and his fist over his heart in a salute he opened his eyes and responded with a firm, "Ave _A_ _utumnus_ _._ "

(RWBY)

 **At Doom's Gate V:  
Bruises**

 _It was jealously of humanity that drove the Old Gods of D'Nur to strip us of our immortality. It was envy of our elaborate constructions and works of art that caused the Old Gods to inflict disease and pestilence on us. It was their anger at our audacity to survive that the Old Gods raised the beasts of D'Nur on two feet to wage war on us. It was the mercy of the Seraphim that spawned our sacred Silver-Eyed bloodlines that laid the savage beastkin low and it was the seasons themselves that took the form of the noble Wraiths that empowered us to storm the Heavens and cast the Old Gods down from their thrones.  
_ _ **\- Excerpt from 'The First Age of Ascension: A History'**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Field Hospital)  
(Beacon Academy)**_

 _ **DEATH. FEAR. HATRED. BLOOD. GORE. VIOLENCE. RIP. TEAR. DISMEMBER. REVENGE...**_

Sitting down on the grass as far as away as possible from the rest of the injured and dressed in a simple white shirt and pants on account of his bloodstained armor needing a good clean whilst his favorite Pumpkin Pete's hoodie was burning in a bonfire along with everyone else's ruined clothing, Jaune clutched his aching head in both hands, eyes shut tightly as he tried to drown out the words the UI-Thranx had been screaming into his ears and the horrible images it burned into his brain when it absorbed itself into his Aura, Jaune feeling the fury of an entire species as it possessed his body and he threw himself at the demons, ripping and tearing them all to pieces until the orb released its hold on his body, it's parting words to him, _**"Vengeance..."**_

"Jaune..."

"HUH?!" he turned and raised his head when he heard his name, his face a couple of inches away from Pyrrha's as she knelt beside him, also dressed in white. He smiled awkwardly and shuffled away from her some, "Oh, hey...Pyrrha...I'm just...eh...just..." his smiled slowly faded as he looked down at his feet. "Still wondering if any of this is real-"

"And not something out of those really dark horror cartoons?" Nora interjected out of her nowhere, Jaune and Pyrrha jumping in fright. "Y'know, the ones with the demons, the blatant misogyny, the bad dub jobs and also the-"

"Nora!" Ren exclaimed.

"Not that I've watched any of that schlock," Nora chirped back.

Jaune felt exhausted just staring at Nora and trying to figure out _what_ she is, "Someone's _somehow_ in a good mood."

"Oh, silly," Nora waved a hand at him, smiling. "The walking dead, demon invasions, my favorite shirt burning in a fire, I'm practically _screaming_ on the inside." She sat down on the grass next to Jaune, dissonant as all hell. "It's you guys that's keeping me grounded."

"...that's nice," Pyrrha smiled awkwardly. She became somber, "I've been...thinking about what's going to happen to everyone now." All eyes were on her as she dipped her head and sighed. "They might end up having to close the school down."

"No way!" Jaune exclaimed, a bit louder than intended. "I mean-"

"But we just got here!" Nora whined. Looking over at her shoulder at the hospital and listening to the sounds of pain and agony she added, " _Rennnnnnn_...we just got here and they're gonna sent us back...to wherever it was we came from _instead_ of home because we don't have a home anymore and if it was still there the demons would probably level it and after seeing it going up in smoke the first time I'm not eager to see it-"

Ren sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, Nora's babbling easing up until she doubled over and trying to catch her breath. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at Ren questioningly as he just shook his head, indicating they shouldn't just ask. "And _you_ , Jaune?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you absorbed that orb or whatever you did," Nora said. "And you tore those demons each a new hole. You...uh...don't feel like tearing the next person you see to pieces as well?"

"WHA-no!" Jaune felt alarmed. "I...I'm fine. I'm just...getting over it what showed me." Seeing that they were waiting for him to elaborate he sighed and continued, "It... showed me _things_. Really bad things, like it was trying to talk to me, show me what would happen if I didn't let it use me to tear those monsters apart."

Pyrrha looked fearful, "It possessed you? It _really_ possessed you?"

"I don't know," Jaune shook his head, burying his face in his palms. "It kept screaming revenge over and over until it just...let go, and I was myself again." Jaune shivered as he wrapped his arms around his legs, "I'm scared, you guys."

"..." Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "So am I."

All the while they hadn't noticed Weiss approaching them. She had hoped Pyrrha would be alone, and in spite of all the suffering that surrounded them she had hoped to express her optimism that the two of them would be put on the same team. She pouted when she saw that she had company, that she actually preferred that awkward blonde amateur swordsman Jaune Arc's company instead of her.

Weiss snorted. Turning on her heels and heading back toward the medical tents, perhaps she should go check up on Ruby, Yang and Blake; they would probably be glad to see her too, and hopefully William Blazkowicz would be there too. Weiss made a face when she thought about that ruthless young man.

It wasn't like she was worried about that power-armored Neanderthal. Really, she wasn't.

(RWBY)

 _ **(The Vault)**_

Right after uttering her first words in months Amber had fallen back into a coma, leaving Ozpin and Glynda looking particularly blindsided. William, however, had his eyes closed as he tried to calm himself after listening to someone speak to him in his mother tongue. His sorrow gave way to anger as his indignation toward Ozpin returned.

"..." William's breaths were ragged as he tried to compose himself. "She...spoke _Argent Lingua_." He opened his eyes and glared at Ozpin, "Why?"

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that," Ozpin replied. "That...was the first time I have heard her speak, let alone in that language."

Glynda approached him, "What did she say?"

"..." William didn't answer that. He gritted his teeth as his rage slowly plastered itself on his face, _Someone_ _ **defiled**_ _the elements, the seasons, themselves._

"What happened to Amber is the reason why the existence of the Maidens were kept to the realm of myths," Ozpin went on. "That is what our group is charged with – we protect the world from behind the scenes."

William faced Ozpin, fixing him with a glare and a sarcastic quip, "An' a great job you're doin' so far." He looked over his shoulder at Amber ignoring Glynda's open contempt for his biting critique of Ozpin, "Who's behind this?"

Glynda looked at Ozpin worriedly. The Headmaster adjusted his glasses, "Salem." William turned back to Ozpin, not looking angry but instead looked like his interest was piqued. "Her name is Salem and she has been at war with mankind behind the shadows for as long as she's existed. She seeks to divide humanity, to cause fear and confusion amongst the kingdoms, which in turn would draw the Grimm – all of which would ultimately meant the end of human life on Remnant."

"...sounds familiar."

"To the 'Dark Lord' of the Fourth Age?"

"..." William turned away so that his gaze focused exclusively on Amber. "Why does she want her for?"

"Her power. The Maidens' power," Glynda answered. " _How_ she intends to use it, we do not know."

"Will she die?"

"For the moment we're keeping her alive using state-of-the-art technology provided by Atlas," Ozpin answered.

"If she does?"

"Ordinarily when a Maiden dies her power transfer to a new host," Glynda explained. "Either it would be the last person in her thoughts, which is always a young woman, or it would choose another host at random." Glynda turned to Amber. "But this...this is unprecedented."

"The other half of her power could seek out the one who stole it," Ozpin added.

 _ **++The pragmatic option would be to eliminate the Maidens, thereby denying both Hell and this Salem their power,++**_ VEGA declared loudly, causing William to close his eyes in frustration. Ozpin looked grim while Glynda recoiled at the suggestion. _**++It is not a decision to be considered lightly-++**_

"And it's out of the question!" Glynda angrily exclaimed. "I can't imagine anyone would suggest something so callous!"

"...whatever it takes," William uttered.

 _ **++For Autumn's case, however, we cannot risk her power transferring to her attacker-++**_

"We are _not_ having this discussion, Blazkowicz!" Glynda paused, narrowing her eyes at William's chest plating. "VEGA." She turned to Ozpin and was surprised to see him appear pensive, "Ozpin?"

Ozpin found himself mulling over Williams' morality, that he would be willing to check it at the door if it meant keeping the Maidens' power out of Salem and Hell's hands. It was as admirable as it was horrible, and Ozpin had long ago vowed he would never have to sink to his enemies' level when fighting them. Blazkowicz on the other hand didn't have such scruples, he had the will to do whatever it took to defeat this Dark Lord, and Salem too if she happened to stand in his way.

Ozpin had to make sure, though. "And Ms. Rose?" William looked irked, like he knew what Ozpin was about to ask him. "Would you be willing to do what it takes and sacrifice _her_ if it meant victory?" William lips curled back to reveal his canines as Ozpin went on. "What about Ms. Xiao Long and everyone else that you've met and fought alongside these past two days? First human contact I imagine you've had in thousands and thousands of years would you willing to cast them aside?" William turned his head and averted his gaze from Ozpin, still angry and unwilling to look at him. "I can only imagine everything that you've been through and what you've been willing to do if it meant keeping Hell from taking more innocent lives, but us Huntsmen and Huntresses want to preserve our humanity, to never have to sink to depths unimaginable and lose ourselves."

"..." William contemplated Ozpin's naive reasoning. A smirk broke out on his face and he suddenly snorted. "You're dreamin', Ozpin." He instantly suppressed the humor in his voice and on his face, looking stoic. "Ain't nothin' _humane_ 'bout what we do."

Ozpin sighed, "That's...saddening, William."

 _Don't give a shit,_ William had meant to voice his derision toward Ozpin, but instead kept it to his thoughts.

 _ **++I must inquire: What are your intentions regarding Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna?++**_ VEGA asked.

Ozpin blinked, "My 'intentions'?"

"You were glad I stuck around jus' so I'd end up helpin' Ruby," William pointed out. "What d'ya want with her?'

Ozpin sighed. No point in hiding it from him. Again, selective information, "I have plans for the future Team RWBY." He sounded resolute. "They'll be the figurative point of the spear in our war against Salem. And against Hell."

"..." again, things were becoming a bit too familiar. "You gonna tell em' about...?" William gestured the chamber they were standing in.

Ozpin smiled, "Not yet. They'll need to a grow a bit before I allow them to be privy to such... information"

' _Grow a bit?' Fuck me,_ William couldn't feel any more contempt for Ozpin at the moment if he tried. He towered threateningly over Ozpin, "An' what's stoppin' _me_ from tellin' 'em?"

Glynda did a panicked double take between them. William was openly challenging Ozpin. Ozpin wasn't smiling anymore, "After everything they've been through today, do you wish to burden them even further with this knowledge?"

"..." William refused to reply to that. Instead he said, "Then I ain't got no more business stickin' around listenin' to bullshit."

"Bullshit?!" Still reeling a bit from what William had just imparted upon her and Ozpin, Glynda called out, "Where are you going?"

"Away," William replied. "Hell wants the Maidens? Fuck em'. Salem wants the Maidens? Fuck 'er too." He smirked in anticipation of future battles, "If fear's all Salem's got goin' for her, what chance she's got against me?"

 _ **++Blazkowicz,++**_ VEGA's tone sounded warningly.

Ozpin closed his eyes and shook his head in disapproval. Was it arrogance William was projecting? Or did he just not want to be put in a situation where he would have to choose between Ruby or his revenge. For a moment he was reminded of himself once upon a time. The gears in Ozpin's collapsed cane whirred as he gripped it tightly and calmly followed after William.

"I would prefer that you remain here at Beacon until we receive concrete intelligence regarding the other Maiden's whereabouts, the current state of Vacuo, any demonic holdouts located within Mistral and tracking the movements of Salem's agents here in Vale and elsewhere. There's no need for you to venture out there blind," Ozpin expressed. "Also, I wish for you to get to know the people that we will be teaching to become future Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Blade Belladonna and Weiss Schnee in particular." He paused, "You're no longer in this fight alone, and you will have to rely on them as much as they will need to rely on you. Also, you will not reveal to them the existence of the Maidens until such a time comes when I decide they are ready."

Glynda felt dread as William came to a halt, instantly turning around to face Ozpin. "..." they didn't need to see his face beyond his visor to know he didn't take kindly to what Ozpin had requested. "Anythin' else?" his tone of voice while calm was more than enough to know Ozpin had pushed him hard enough. Especially towards those four girls and outing himself to having some kind of agenda towards them.

"I would also like you to control your temper," Ozpin smiled. "And those weren't _requests_ , by the way."

"..." William unhooks his chainsaw from his back, Glynda instinctively reaching for her riding crop. William dropped it onto the ground followed by his pistol, his heavy assault rifle and both his shotguns. He also took his helmet off, putting it on the ground behind himself. Ozpin stepped forward and extended his cane.

"Why don't we make it interesting?" Ozpin said. "If you can land a single hit on me, I'll let you walk out of Beacon and you can do whatever you like. Otherwise, you're staying put."

 _ **++Agreed,++**_ VEGA announced before William could open his mouth. William snarled angrily and raised his fists, spreading his legs as he got into a fighting stance. Ozpin had both hands on his cane, tapping the point onto the floor as the two of them stared each down from across one another down the length of the chamber.

Glynda couldn't believe this was happening. "Ozpin, what are you doing?"

"Communicating to him the only way he'll appreciate: Conflict," Ozpin replied. Addressing William he smiled confidently. "Anytime you're ready."

William narrowed his eyes and smirked, the bones in his fists audibly cracking as he clenched them, _Smug prick._

(RWBY)

 _ **(Medical Tent)**_

 _ **(Sometime later...)**_

"What do you think Professor Ozpin wanted to talk to William about?"

"Hmm? Oh, probably to gush over B.J. really screwing up the demons' shit."

"Curse word. And you said _B.J..._ ew."

" _Hush_ , you."

It took a while for Ruby to calm down but when she did it was like she hadn't woken up traumatized after having a flesh-ridden hell of a nightmare. Ruby and Yang were sitting across from one another just talking to one another like sisters would. The tent flap opened and in stepped Weiss, the heiress surprised to see that it was just Ruby and Yang.

"Weiss!" Ruby happily exclaimed.

"Hmph...I was expecting Belladonna and Blazkowicz to be here as well," Weiss stated. "I thought she had a concussion."

"I gave her a painkiller and told her to rest outside," the doctor said. "Now, Ms. Schnee since you're here if you can just sit up on the table next to Ms. Rose I'll examine you."

"Actually, if I needed medical attention I would have come by sooner," Weiss haughtily countered. The stern look the doctor gave her caused her to sigh, "Fine, if I must." She took a side beside Ruby. She noticed Yang smiling at her, "What?"

"You asked about B.J.? You missing him already?"

"What?! No!" Weiss shot back. She crossed her arms and turned her chin, "I couldn't care less about Blazkowicz and his bullheaded-" And without preamble William lifted the tent flap and stepped inside, drawing cringes from Ruby and Yang while Weiss covered her mouth, looking mortified.

"William!" Ruby cried out, trying to sound as happy as possible despite the awkwardness. "We were just-"

"..." William ignored them and focused on the medics, his arm wrapped the left side of his ribcage. "Ribs feel busted."

One of the nurses directed William toward the table where Yang was sitting. "Hey, let me get out of your way," Yang offered to give him space and instead walked over to where Ruby was sitting and leaned against the table. "So, you went to see Ozpin? Anything you can tell us?"

"..."

"Anything at all?" Yang pressed further.

"...no," William quietly replied as he removed his helmet.

"WHOA!" Ruby exclaimed in fright as she involuntarily scrambled backward across the table, Yang and Weiss also shocked at the fresh bruising on his left cheek, like something had kept striking his face repeatedly. "William? W-what happened to your face?"

"..."

Weiss scowled at William's non-response, "Ruby just asked you a question. You should answer her."

"..."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, "Like talking to a sentient bag of cement."

"I'm...going to have to ask you to remove your armor," the nurse informed him hesitantly, Yang's eyebrows raised involuntarily, eyes lighting up in interest at what laid underneath the plating of the Doom Slayer's armor and she found herself smiling a bit. Ruby also looked interested but suddenly appeared embarrassed while Weiss looked visibly conflicted at the prospect of seeing a boy half-naked. They the sound of hissing air was heard as William's suit depressurized, the platelets of his cuirass coming apart around his back which allowed him 'peel' it off his torso, followed by his shoulder and arm plating, and lastly his gauntlets.

Weiss averted her blushing gaze while Ruby and Yang just stared. For Ruby staring at a guy's bare, muscled torso loses its appeal if there's fresh bruising around the ribs and stomach on top of a massive amount of long-healed scar tissue, and the guy in question visibly looks like he trying not to show he's in pain. Yang on the other hand wasn't quite as turned off, but she still cringed at the sight, "Jeez, that looks painful just to look at. Were you punched through a wall or something when we weren't looking?"

"..." William blinked. "Must've." _Pillar, actually. Two of em'. Fuckin' Ozpin._ He looked at the bandage on his arm covering the wound inflicted by Adam and reached for it but was stopped by the nurse who said that the doctor will redress it for him, along with the gauze that was covering his laser burns sustained from Vale City hospital. The doctor approached Weiss and directed her gaze towards him and the ophthalmoscope.

"Slight Aura exhaustion," the doctor informed her. "You just need rest."

"Told you," Weiss stated. He looked over at William, "And him?"

The doctor put on a fresh pair of elastic gloves, and William gritted his teeth slightly as he examined his ribs. "Some minor bruising, will require bandaging and less strenuous activity for a few days on account of you not having an Aura. Now..." he examined William's face, the Slayer wincing at bit from the pain. "Weren't you wearing a helmet during the fighting?"

"Yep."

"How do you explain all this?"

"... _faceplanted_ ," William responded. He looked at Yang when he added, "When you weren't lookin'."

Yang blinked, "Whoa, where'd that come from?"

"..."

Weiss snorted, her face still turned away from him, "Then you should be more careful." She couldn't stop herself from sneaking a glance at him, quickly turning back to the tent flap when he rolled his eyes at her, noticing the red on her cheeks.

The doctor reached for the adhesive tape, "Ms. Rose, Ms. Schnee. You two can leave now."

"Oh, I don't mind company," Yang smirked, making no effort to hide how much she appreciated William with his armor off and his arms held up in the air as the nurse wrapped the tape around his ribs, appropriately making him look like he had just walked way from a massive battle. Ruby and Weiss excused themselves, Ruby grabbing her cloak and scythe and stepped out, both girls blushing madly. Yang's eyes dimmed and she snorted, "Fine. More for me then." She turned back to William, seeing him just stare at her like there was something wrong with her as the nurse finished taping him up and he lowered his arms. "Uh..." Yang gave a guilty smile. "Not trying to make you feel uncomfortable or anything." She pointed at the gauze covering her own chest. "Hey, I'm sitting here technically not wearing anything above the waist either _sooooo_...no _double standards_ going on here."

William closed his eyes shrugged, "..." He swallowed the painkillers the nurse handed him before washing it down with water. "Didn't know there was much left ta' look at anyway."

 _Oh, I digress,_ Yang thought lecherously. She realized William looked like he was being serious and wiped the smirk off her face, "Uh...yeah." She pointed at the scars all over his bad, "That's some...some heavy scarring." Yang paused as she leaned forward, clasping her hand together as she made conversation, "All that from fighting demons?"

"Yep."

"Without Aura?"

"..."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "How, though? How can you fight without your own soul generating a shield around your body to, you know, protect you from arm?" Yang asked rather loudly, unable to comprehend anyone being able to fight Grimm or demons from Hell without an Aura or even a Semblance.

"Swords. Armor. Plasma weapons. Ammunition," William flexed his fingers. "My fists." He looked at Yang rather dangerously, "Don't need no Aura. Soul's meant to be protected by the body, not the other way 'round." William paused, Yang seeing that he was focused on her chest, her bandages specifically. "That gonna scar?"

Yang nodded, "Yeah. Thought my Aura can take energy claws. Guess I thought wrong. I think it was my Semblance that stopped me from keeling over and missing out on all the asskickery." She remembered that William didn't have an Aura so he wouldn't understand the concept of Semblances either. "Oh, right. A Semblance is-"

"Your 'special ability'?" William interjected. Noting Yang's confusion William added, "Ruby kept goin' on 'bout 'em."

Remembering that he and her sister had journeyed to Vale City together, Yang smiled, "Yeah, my little sis would have." Yang looked down at the ground, despondent. "You're...still planning on sticking around, right?"

"..." William winced, his on of his ribs choosing this moment to ache. "...yeah." He noticed how morose Yang looked, "Why?"

Yang turned her head slightly towards the tent flap and smiled, sadly, "It's just I've never seen Ruby care about someone else other than me or dad, not since mom died. I keep telling her to got out and make friends but she'd prefer to just hang around me rather than spread her wings, so to speak."

William breathed in and out when he felt the painkiller take effect, " _They_ do that."

"Who?"

"Siblin's."

Yang smirked, " _You_ said it." Her eyes widened, "Wait."

"...shit."

Yang blinked, concerned. "You...got any?"

"..." William looked away, frowning.

"Touchy subject?" Yang asked. William didn't answer, instead he just frowned harder. Yang threw her hands up, "Ok, ok..." Suddenly everyone heard screaming outside the tent, everyone in the tent turning their heads toward it. "What the heck...OW!" Yang cried in pain when got off the tape only to back up against it in pain from her wound.

The tent flap opened and in dropped a wounded huntsman with a head wound, eyes closed as blood ran into them, "King Taijitu...from the Emerald Forest just breached the barrier! It's headin' right for this camp!"

"What?!" the doctor cried as he helped the huntsmen up. "But it's mostly wounded here!"

"Shit!" Yang cried. "My sis is out there!" William got off the table and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, you got the right idea!" Yang tried moving forward but moved a hand toward her wound as it felt inflamed. "Godsdammit..." she cried in frustration. "I need to...to..."

William stepped in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders to keep her still. Yang was about to shout at him to let her go when she felt William's hand on her chest just below her heart, where the Prowler had struck her. She felt her breath hitch in her throat when she expected pain to erupt throughout her body, but surprisingly the Slayer's touch proved gentle. They held eye contact even when William reached down for his chainsaw and his super shotgun, only breaking once he turned around and stepped out of the tent, the leaving the cuirass of his Praetor Suit behind with only bandages covering his chest and painkillers keeping his bruised rips from slowing him down.

And Yang just stood there and watched him go, still looking at the tent flap, trying to comprehend how he managed to wordlessly convince her to stay put this time.

 _ **(Field Hospital)**_

Students ran and hobbled right past William as he calmly walked toward the source of the commotion: A giant serpent-like Grimm composed of a white half and black half that each had a head. It was locked in combat with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, each taking turns to land a strike on it as it was missing flinging tents and stretchers all over the place as it lunged at the aspiring huntresses and huntsmen. William noted that Blake was supposed to be suffering from a concussion as the secretly-Faunus girl was sent flying his away and landed on her back in front of him.

William reached for her, only for her to weakly bat his hands away. Grabbing her by her shirt she lifted her up and sat her down underneath an upturned tent, glaring at her as if daring her to try and get back up. Visibly in pain from the migraine and all the dizziness she had managed to fight off when she had gone to confront William, all she could do was nod her head as she slumped over onto her side.

The Doom Slayer stood back up and leveled a death glare straight at the Grimm, which caught the white half's attention long another for Ruby and Pyrrha, both enhanced by Weiss' speed glyphs, to decapitate the head of the black half of the King Taijiti, the white half seemingly ignoring the aspirants fighters in father of the lone, bandaged young man with a double-barrel and a chainsaw walking towards it, unafraid and full of contempt.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby shouted. "W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Oh, he's just _walking right on over toward us_?" Jaune added, incredulously. "Toward a giant snake Grimm?"

The King Taijiti hissed loudly as William approached it, calmly loading two high-explosive Fire Dust shells into his super shotgun. Coiling itself up it raised his head as it prepared to lunge straight for the Doom Slayer, William however suddenly broke into a sprint and leapt forward onto the Grimm's coiled body and bounced off it right _into_ the King Taijiti's open mouth. Gripping its right fang to steady himself he thrusted the barrel of his super shotgun into the roof of it's mouth and fired, blowing the back of it's open and lighting up the night sky.

Weiss blinked as she tried to grasp what she and dozens of other people had just witness "Holy..." she quietly muttered as she watched the King Taijiti topple over onto it's side. William pushed himself out of the King Taijiti's smoking, dead mouth, tearing the fang he had been grabbing onto, tearing it out in the process. The Grimm suddenly dissolved into nothing. William broke open his super shotgun, smoke pouring out of the barrels as he ejected the spent shells.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby exclaimed as she frantically ran over to him, mortified that he had thrown himself into a King Taijiti's gaping maw, suicidal yet somehow brilliant at the same time. "OHMYGOSHAREYOUOKWHATWEREYOUTHINKINGAREYOUREALLYOKWHYWOULDYOUDOTHATPLEASEDONTDOTHATAGAINPLEASE!" she rattled off as pushed herself against him, hands on her chest.

William gently pried her hands off him. The sound of more Grimm could be heard as they threw himself against the barricades on the cliffs facing the Emerald Forest. Realizing that he was he still holding the king Taijiti's fang he turned to Ren and tossed it his way, the martial artist catching it with his left hand.

"William?" Ruby reached a hand towards him but was stopped by Blake, shaking her head and silently telling her to leave him be. William cracked his knuckles, hefted his chainsaw and double-barreled super shotgun over both his shoulders and walked calmly toward the cliffs facing the Emerald Forest. There was Grimm to kill, and he had a lot of frustration to work out.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Emerald Forest)**_

 _ **(Next Morning)**_

A _fuckton_ of frustration as it turned out.

Coco swore there had to have been no stranger sight than seeing a man sleeping peacefully against a tree in the middle of _the_ Emerald Forest, cradling a double-barreled shotgun against his chest and a chainsaw lying right next to him, and the clearing where the morning sun shone down on all of them looked like a bomb had gone off. "I...there are no words."

"Yes," Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement.

Fox quietly agreed as well. Velvet was about to voice her agreement when she noticed Coco had a wry smile on her face as she took out her scroll with intent to take a picture of William in his vulnerable, restful, not-at-all-threatening position. Velvet scowled and slapped it out of her hands, "Hey!" Coco pouted, "Fine, let's just wake the big lug." Velvet grabbed hold of her arm, "Now what?" Velvet pointed at the fact William's finger was an inch away from the trigger, "Right. Could still be loaded."

"He's awake," Yatsuhashi declared. They looked up to see William, still sitting up against the tree with his arms now crossed.

"Uh...very unique place to take a nap," Velvet called out, smiling nervously. "In the middle of a Grimm infested forest." William got up, cracking his neck followed by his back as he stretched. "Wearing only...bandages..." Velvet rattled on, blushing lightly as she turned her head. _Why did he spend the night in the Emerald Forest wearing only bandages? The Emerald Bloody Forest for gods' sake?! Who does that?!_ Velvet mentally raged.

She was startled when William walked right by her in the direction of Beacon Cliffs. Coco smirked at the bunny Faunus, "You alright there, Vel? Never seen a guy wearing only bandages spend the night killing Grimm in a death zone before going to sleep surrounded by their fading corpses?" Coco chuckled and adjusted her shades, "Yeah, me neither."

Coco's smirk disappeared when they heard William sarcastically quip, "...heh."

 _ **(Lecture Hall 4-C)  
(Beacon Academy)**_

In one of the empty, less-damaged lecture halls the entire school faculty were gathered, each one sitting down as they quietly watched the footage projected via hologram of the lid of a stone sarcophagus being carved open and lifted right off it, revealing a naked William Joseph Blazkowicz III chained down to it by his wrists. The Doom Slayer's eyes shot open as the lid came to a halt above him and he fought to tear himself free of his steel shackles, tearing one arm free just in time to smash the head of a Possessed that got too close before wrench his other arm free, leaping of the sarcophagus to graph a pistol off the ground and kill the other Possessed waiting for him in the chamber.

"...gods..." Oobleck could only mutter in astonishment at the utter brutality. "How much...footage did the artificial intelligence provide?"

"About _ten_ hours' worth of security footage," Glynda replied. "It doesn't include his excursions into the Hell dimension, of course." She shivered a bit, having reviewed the footage that VEGA had sent her and Ozpin. "Not that it matters, the Mars facility resembles Hell towards the end anyway." Gore-splattered hallways twisting around cold, soulless Terran architecture littered with the bodies of UAC scientists with the undead and hellspawned abominations stalking the corridors, William killing every last one of them in increasingly brutal, creative walls and armed with weapons and technology that could possibly outmatch Remnant's current technological level. "You may review the footage in your own time, but Ozpin is adamant you all study the codex we have forwarded to all of your scrolls. We'll be providing the students _only_ with the a modified demon bestiary with references to the UAC removed; they do not need to be burdened with the existence of Earth at this present time."

"Where is Professor Ozpin?" Professor Port queried. "I imagine he would be the one to tell us all of this."

Glynda sweated a bit, "He's...uh..."

"Apologies for my tardiness, ladies and gentlemen," they all heard the man himself announce himself. Light, hushed gasps were heard as they laid eyes on a thoroughly battered and bruised Professor Ozpin. A white bandage was wrapped around his forehead, he sported a hideous bruise on the left side of his face and his left arm was in a sling. He leaned onto his cane for support as he limped down the stairs, every professor in the room staring in horror at Beacon's Headmaster looking like he just been laid low, Port getting up from his seat.

"P-Professor...?" Oobleck blanched at the sight. "What happened to you?"

Ozpin could only smile at the concern everyone was showing him. "Me and Blazkowicz...had a _disagreement\_."

"He did this to you?!" Port cried, outraged. "That _ungrateful_ -"

"Calm, Peter," Ozpin gestured for him to set down. "We settled things in a way he accepts. Now, as Glynda was saying we have all the information VEGA had accumulated during this 'Mars incident' and I strongly recommend you take a thorough look through it and devise the appropriate strategies against Hells bestiary."

"Yeah, uh...Hell Knight. Hell Baron..." one of the other professors called out. "Do they follow some kind of caste system?"

"Ruled over by this Dark Lord of the Fourth Age," Glynda added. "And answering to him are the _Baalgar_ – the Shadowlords. And we will assume the Barons and the Knights follow afterwards. So yes, Hell follows a caste system, apparently. And the Imps that were out in force yesterday, they're just a rung above the Possessed, I imagine.

Port's mustache bristled, "So, this Dark Lord of the Fourth Age is Blazkowicz's ultimate prey?"

Ozpin hobbled towards the front of the room, standing beside Glynda, "And now happens to be Remnant's if we are to defeat them. Ladies and gentlemen, we are facing an organized, formidable enemy that governs, thinks and fights unlike the Grimm. They corrupt the human soul as much as the flesh. And they embody all the worst traits and emotions the Grimm are attracted to. I daresay it's what _empowers_ them. What happened yesterday was only a small taste of what's to come."

Oobleck paled a bit. "How do we fight such an opponent?"

The Headmaster of Beacon looked confident, "We exhaust all the forces they send to Remnant, then we find a way to strike at their very heart." He smiled, "And there is only _one_ person here who can pull that off."

Glynda checked her scroll, and she looked weary at the message she just received. She rolled her eyes. "Team CFVY just found Blazkowicz." She didn't sound surprised, " _Sleeping_ in the Emerald Forest after volunteering himself to hold the barricades near Beacon Cliffs."

Stunned silence enveloped the lecture hall, right up until someone called out, "Ok, _now_ he's just showing off."

 _ **(Outdoor Soup Kitchen)  
(Field Hospital)**_

Weiss felt like she wanted to cry as the volunteer lifted the ladle out of the pot and poured soup into her plastic bowl. To her this was humiliating, everybody standing in line for food as if they were at a soup kitchen in the poorer parts of the Atlas Capital, the places the Schnee Dust Company sponsored for that good old PR. And since she was the only person who felt this way just made her feel that much worse, especially with Ruby standing behind her with a smile on her face and holding two bowls.

"Wow, you really hungry or what, sis?" Yang chuckled. "I don't think they'll let you _have some more_."

Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang, "It's for William when he gets back. I saw him eat an apple two days ago and that was it.\He must be _starving_."

"Aww...that's real sweet of you," Yang ribbed her sister, causing her to flush.

Weiss stepped out of the line, letting Ruby get her bowls filled. "Never mind you're taking pity on a six-foot five death machine that literally paints the walls with blood and could level the whole academy if he wanted to," she huffed.

Yang smirked, "And what's wrong with that?"

Weiss glared at Yang, "Are you sure _you_ don't miss him?" Yang looked at her with that 'you what' expression. "I guess you do," Weiss was the one smirking now, she stopped when she saw the guy in question step out of the same medical tent from yesterday, wearing his complete Praetor Suit except for his helmet which he held under his arm. Ruby and Yang thought they heard Ruby let out a tiny 'squee' as she bounded right over to him, watching her with soup bowls in hand offer one to William.

Weiss frowned, "Seriously, your sister is really attached to someone she just met a couple of days."

"The guns," Yang replied. "It's probably the _guns_. And the armor. And the fact he can suplex a beringel," she listed off as her soup bowl was filled. "I'm always telling her to meet new people and grow as a person, and if just happens to be someone packing enough firepower to arm a platoon, walks around in armor powered by dark magic and can probably bench-press a Goliath, well..." Yang scratched the back of her head she watched William take the bowl and tried drinking from it, only to suddenly drop his helmet as he accidentally scalded him and wipe his mouth with his free hand, prompting Ruby to cringe and offer him a spoon. "Good thing he's on our side."

"..." Weiss studied William and Ruby's interactions carefully. "Does this have anything to do with you killing that demonized student?" Yang immediately looked despondent. "Right after you criticized him for how he dealt with those thugs back at-?"

"I get what you're saying," Yang cut her off harshly. "I still think it's wrong to kill people, but..." he turned to see William using the spoon to consume his soup, Ruby now sitting on the grass next to him, looking like she was enjoying his company. She couldn't tell if the feeling was mutual on his part, but there her sister was beside him, keeping him from simply wandering off to kill more things and raise hell wherever he went. "It wouldn't be fair to get angry at him for...what needs to be done."

Weiss smirked, "You sure it's not because you got to see him without his shirt on?" Yang's face turned red, totally not expecting the heiress to suddenly become flippant with her.

The brawler turned it around though. She smiled sharply with a rather lecherous glint in her eye, " _That_ too."

" _Attention. If able, will all 1_ _st_ _Year students please report to the gathering area outside the hospice? Initiation will begin shortly,"_ Professor Goodwitch's voice was heard over the public announcement system."

"Initiation?" Yang cried. "Don't tell me they're still going to make us go through with it?"

"Are you afraid?"

Yang and Weiss jumped in front when Blake suddenly appeared behind them, holding an icepack against her forehead and visibly under the influence of painkillers. "Blake? Where have you been?" Yang exclaimed. "The doctor told you to take it easy."

Blake looked over at Ruby and Blake, seeing the reaper discard hers and William's plastic bowls in the nearest bin, watching her say something to him before running over their way. "I had to...sort some business out." She rubbed her forehead, "Now I'm paying for it."

Weiss crossed her arms, "Blazkowicz-related?"

"Hey c'mon you guys!" Ruby called out to them waving her arms. "There's no way we can miss _this_."

 _ **(Gathering Area)**_

Many of the first years gathered outdoors couldn't help but wince a bit in quiet, shared agony when they saw Professor Ozpin, all bandaged and thoroughly beaten limp his up a wooden stage towards the rostrum, Professor Goodwitch following him. Judging from how surprised Ruby looked, she hadn't been expecting this. "I don't remember seeing Ozpin this injured," Blake pointed out as she sat on the grass.

"Obviously we haven't, either," Weiss stated.

Ruby blinked in befuddlement at Ozpin's condition, before putting two and two together and remembering that William looked like he had gone ten rounds against a Ursa without his Praetor Suit on. _No way._

Ozpin took a moment to survey the prospective huntsmen and huntresses, glad that so many were gathered before him, over three hundred at least – those that hadn't been in the amphitheater when that hellish pillar of light was summoned by the demon sorcerer Deag Grav. Regardless, it was time to make them feel like yesterday was worth _something._

"I'll...be blunt," Ozpin began, adjusting his glasses. You all arrived here yesterday in pursuit of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have all finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." He paused, looking over a sea of pained face, each one clutching their weapons like they were a security blanket. "Instead, Hell in its purest, literal form was waiting for you. Took you all by surprise, and to my shame, even _me_." Ozpin glanced down at himself, explaining away his injuries and seeing dread amongst the young people before him; Glynda sighed and rolled her eyes. "But you _fought_ back, sent the demons retreating back to their darkest places. I look amongst you, and I see _survivors_." Immediately many of them perked up. "In bringing yourselves to stand here before me, weapons in hand, you have all proven yourselves worthy of studying here at one of the most prestigious Huntsmen Academies in Remnant." He smiled, "Yesterday, fighting through that massacre was your Initiation, and I welcome _all_ of you." Ozpin looked over the heads of every gladdened, smiling adolescent to see William standing behind all of them, watching him intently with his helmet off, bruises for all to see. "Every last one of you. Whatever the future holds, we shall face it together. And I promise you when you leave here, not even Hell itself can hope to stand against each of you."

The students present broke out into cheers, Ruby and Yang even joining in. Weiss, however, crossed her arms and smiled, now confident she'll be prepared the next time they have fight to fight against the demons; Blake plugged her ears as she tried to ignore the agony that came from listening to foolish applause. Take it from her, if the demons were able to land a concussion on her through her own Aura, what hope did any of them have.

Glynda next took the rostrum, "Your...ahem... _performances_ yesterday have been evaluated and teams have already been organized. If I may direct you to your left." Everyone turned their head to see several tables stacked with papers and mobile reversible cork boards with lists tacked to them. "Each of you please take a requisition form and fill them out while I announce what team will be comprised off." After exchanging worried, uncertain glassed with one another the first-years did as they were told, each grabbing a requisition form.

"' _Clothing. Dust. Ammunition Jacket Types. Your requests will be paid for by the Kingdom of Vale,'"_ Weiss read out loud what it said at the bottom of the paper. _"Please state school uniform size and Huntsmen uniform style, size and additions. We recommend you choose wisely based on your preferred fighting style and fitness. Your orders will arrive in seven business days._

"Combat skirt!" Ruby exclaimed impulsively. "I'm gonna need a lot of combat-"

" _Armor_ ," Ruby cringed when William cut into the conversation.

"...um..." Ruby smiled awkwardly. " _Armored_ combat skirt?"

"How about something the enemy _can't_ grab a hold of?" Blake suggested. She groggily looked up at William. "That's what you were going to say?" William nodded, before pointing at his head and running a finger along his hair.

Yang narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "I hope you're not suggesting-"

"Somethin' you'll remember me sayin' to you as your scalp gets torn off ya' skull?" William cut in, causing the color to drain from Yang's face as her imagination went into macabre overdrive couldn't stop itself from picturing one of those Hell Knights pinning her on the ground with its foot on her back as it grabbed her long hair and started to...

"Hush, Professor Goodwitch's is about to announce the teams," Weiss said. Turning back towards the stage she smirked and rubbed her hands together in anticipation _They have to put me on a team with Pyrrha Nikos, with_ _ **me**_ _as the leader. The two of us would be an unstoppable pair-_

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren. By virtue of immediately seeking help from Professor Ozpin and myself during a time of crisis, from this day forward you are Team JNPR," Glynda declared. "Led by Jaune Arc."

"M-me?" Jaune cried out. "I-"

William closed his eyes and snorted, _God help em.'_ He noticed Weiss looking forlorn.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. For leading the charge against the demons and closing the gateway to Hell itself, from this day forward you are Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose."

Ruby certainly wasn't expecting that. Yang smirked and hugged her younger sister from behind, lifting her up from the ground as she cried out joyfully, "Proud of you! So proud of you!"

"..." William blinked, before looking over at Ozpin and noticing the headmaster was looking back at him with a knowing smile.

The Doom Slayer scowled.

 _Manipulative_ bastard.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Dormitories)**_

 _ **(Later that day...)**_

Everyone spent the rest of the morning recuperating. It was after lunch when Goodwitch made the announcement that the dorms, which had sustained the least damage during the attack and where most of the gore had been cleaned up, would be re-opened; following up by further announcing that studies would commence in seven days, allowing repairs to be complete and for everyone – student and teacher – to settle their affairs and their nerves. William feared he would go insane from all the waiting but restrained himself long enough for Velvet to show him to his room in the guest wing of the dorms.

They stopped outside Room 214 Velvet suddenly remembered, "Oh, and Professor Goodwitch wanted me to give you _this_." She reached into her pocket and produced a scroll, putting it into William's hand. "Your _scroll._ It's keyed to your room lock so you just need to swipe it and open sesame. _"_ Noticing how the Slayer was staring at the computational device sitting in the palm of his hand. "You've...used one before, right?"

"I'll manage," William replied. He ran the key over the door handle and heard the door unlock. "Don't wait up," he said as he stepped out of the hall into his room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Velvet to stand alone outside in the hallway.

"...you're welcome...?" Velvet muttered, unsure.

 _ **(Blazkowicz's Room)**_

Grunting in discomfort and he tried to relieve himself of his Praetor suit without aggravating his injuries, William got a feel for his new quarters. Obviously, it was big enough for a whole team just like the squires' quarters of the Silvered Citadel of Empyrean, only they had been more spartan and without any of the niceties, like curtain blinds and pillows for instance; and it didn't have the smell of blood, sweat and sexual intercourse not unheard of within a co-ed environment mixed with gunpowder and plasma rifle exhaust. Ozpin has his students wallowing in luxury, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Slaves of Doom, and it's a wonder Remnant's lasted this long against the Grimm, William believed.

Putting his weapons and scroll atop of the desk he removed each piece of his Preator Suit and putting them atop one of the spare beds, leaving him bare save for his bandages. On top of the bed just underneath the window he took notice of the steel case with a snowflake emblazoned on it, and a note.

 _From the desk of Jacques Schnee,_

With Compliments from the Schnee Dust Company. We look forward to your continued patronage.

 _Yours Sincerely,  
The Schnee Dust Company Team_

Scrunching up the note and tossing it into the waste basket he opened it to reveal belts of .50 caliber FMJ ammunition and 12-gauge shotgun cartridges, all loaded with Fire and Lightning Dust – thousands of rounds worth. Obviously, this was the rest of the ammunition he bought on Ozpin's dime. To the lower right of the crates he noticed another smaller crate and opened it, revealing several dozen tiny missiles, small enough to be fitted into his heavy assault rifle's micro missile rack. Convenient.

Noticing his room had a bathroom he didn't think twice about relieving himself. Stepping through he was greeted by a pristine white room including more of the niceties – shower, bath, sink, toilet. Again, the squires of the Night Sentinels had made use of shared bathhouses, and William felt this kind of luxury was detrimental. He paused when he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. _Who is that?_

He stepped up to the mirror just above the sink, raising a hand to his face.

 _That me?_ William blinked, astounded at the man...boy... _whatever_ was staring back at him in the mirror. Thousands upon thousands of years of seriously unnatural life and feeling nowhere near his age, he didn't expect to _look_ the part either. Looking exactly like the day he inherited the Crucible and the title of Praetor of the Night Sentinels, the youngest at _seventeen_. His commission hadn't lasted long either, months later the traitor led Deag Grav to the Wraiths, and D'Nur was history.

The truth behind his unbearably long life: Was it because of being constantly exposed to the purifying effects of the Wraith's power as it was converted to Hell energy? Was it a curse put it him on as punishment for his failure to save Argent D'Nur? For his arrogance believing he could bring the Slaves of Doom to heel? Or was it simply his rage keeping him going for millennia?

He felt embittered when he noticed the resemblance. _Like the bastard's starin' back at me._ All this time he had been balling his right hand into a fist and unclenched it. He sighed, his face losing the frown that had also been plastered all over his face this whole time. He had better things to do than pick pieces of glass out of his hand and cost Beacon fifty or so lien in mirror repair, though he was tempted to do it just to spite Ozpin.

He gave himself one last hard stare before he turned went for his first hot shower in eons, making sure to wrap his bandages up in the plastic provided by the doctors before stepping underneath the showerhead.

 _ **(Team RWBY's Room)**_

Ruby was testing how springy her mattress as she whined, "Awww...too bad we couldn't get bunk beds."

"We should be thankful we don't have to spend another night lying outside on the grass," Weiss sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. "And bunkbeds?" she looked up to stare at Ruby judgmentally. "Are you still _five_?"

"...I think bunkbeds are cool is all," Ruby muttered, tapping her pointer fingers together.

Weiss blinked when she saw how _little_ Ruby seemed to be affected by an attack by demons from Hell.

"If we still had all our luggage we'd probably would have needed to make room," Blake intoned, sitting up on her bed against the wall, still nursing her aching head. "But since it all burned on the airship getting here-"

"Good thing Vale's decided to splurge," Yang cracked her back as she stretched out on her mattress, holding her requisition form in the air and waving it about. She patted her stomach, "I'm seriously banking on armor practical enough and somehow still look good on me." She turned her head towards her sister, "So Ruby, our fearless leader?"

"Hmm?"

Yang smirked, "What's our first order of business as Team RWBY?"

The other girls' expectant eyes on her, Ruby looked like she obviously haven't had a chance to plan that far ahead. "Well...we've been given seven days before lessons start so..." Ruby looked resolved, "We make use of it." She reached for her scroll and scroll towards the 'Demon Bestiary' app. "Like going over what's on these scrolls."

 _ **++I recommend you spend an exorbitant amount of time studying the files we have on the demons and devise strategies appropriate to dealing with them,++**_ VEGA suddenly spoke through Ruby's scroll, causing her to shriek and drop it on the bed.

"V-VEGA?!" Ruby clutched her heart. "H-how did-?"

 _ **++I have synced myself to Blazkowicz's scroll provided to him by Professor Goodwitch from my storage unit in the Praetor suit, ergo through the CCT I have access and to every student and teacher's scroll for the purpose for communications, warnings and updates regarding demonic or Grimm activity.++**_

"You have access to the CCT all across Remnant?" Weiss asked, skeptical. "To everybody's scroll and their personal data?"

Yang swallowed, "Yeah, that's not creepy at all?"

 _ **++My influence is limited only to Vale at the moment as the Praetor suit's internal system does not have the processing power to reach out to the other kingdoms. And I assure all of you, unless you are attempting to hide anything or conspire by carelessly attempting to transmit unprotected, unencrypted data between scrolls and any other wireless device, I have no interest in your personal lives,++**_ VEGA assured them.

"Gee, thanks," Blake said, weakly.

 _ **++You are suffering from only a mild concussion, Ms. Belladonna? Aura must have shielded you from a severely impacted skull which would have resulted in death. How soon will you be fully recovered?++**_

"Another day, hopefully," Blake answered. "Why?"

 _ **++I have recorded and analyzed each of your preferred weapons, fighting style and tactics,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++I have calculated: With your current tactics and lev el of teamwork you all have a ninety percent chance of dying in the event of a full-scale demonic invasion.++**_

"SAY WHAT?!" Yang shouted. "What kind of bullshit is this?"

"BAD WORD! _**BAD WORD**_!"

 _ **(Team JNPR's Room)**_

Jaune chuckled nervously after VEGA dropped the percentage of probable death for the next fight, "Heh, ninety percent, huh?"

"You don't mince words, do you?" Ren commented.

 _ **++Not when the future of humanity is at question,++**_ VEGA said. _**++In spite of my projections, besides Team RWBY you displayed above-average combat effectiveness against the demons during your first sortie in spite of Arc's spontaneous leadership and questionable fighting skills with the sword and shield.++**_

"...uh, thanks?" Jaune couldn't tell if that was a compliment or a put-down. He noticed Pyrrha was scrolling through the Bestiary app on her scroll. "Pyrrha?"

"Blazkowicz has fought these things?" Pyrrha inquired, nervously. "I...I never imagined Hell was a real place filled with these...beasts." She swallowed, now sounding resolute as she went on, "And they _bleed_ just we do, not like Grimm but like humans. Its...it's..."

"Hey, you alright there?" Nora patted her on the shoulder. "Yeah, I know it ain't like killing Grimm, it's more like bursting red paint-filled balloons. Balloons with sharp claws, can throw fire and are trying to either kill us all or possess our corpses." Nora's perky nature slowly faded, "So much...red _paint_ yesterday." She slowly slipped into a daze. "So. Much..."

"Nora," Ren tapped her shoulder.

"BLOOD!" Nora cried out, a big reassuring smile on her face. "Did I say red paint? I meant _blood_! Lots and lots of-"

 _ **Your training prepared you to face Grimm, and only Grimm. Not demons. Unlike the Grimm, they are not completely mindless,++**_ VEGA decreed. _**++This must change. You will adapt.++**_

Pyrrha nodded, "We can."

"We will," Ren added

"If it's either that or certain death then," Jaune chuckled as he tried to keep in good spirts despite the AI's warnings. "I'm down."

"You wouldn't by chance be giving this same speech to every 1st Year team now, would you?" Nora sounded coy.

 _ **++Though I am able to partition my consciousness to converse with up to ten other teams despite the limitations of the Praetor suit's internal hardware I am conversing only with you and Team RWBY,++**_ VEGA admitted. _**++As a test in evaluating Beacon's combat rating against demonic opposition I will see to it that your combat effectiveness will be significantly over the course of seven days before Beacon Academy is formally in session.++**_

 _Crap. That couldn't sound any more ominous._ Jaune felt a cold chill when he dared to ask, "How do we do that?"

 _ **(Blazkowicz's Room)**_

 _ **++By having you drill**_ _ **both**_ _ **teams in D'Nurian combat study.++**_

"..." William paused in his motions of drying his hair with a towel, another one covering his waist as the steam from the bathroom rose out from the bathroom door behind him. He stared at his armor's chest-plate sternly, before letting his hand fall to the side. "Whatever happened to contactin' Hayden?"

 _ **++It is a still a priority. For now we should concentrate on ensuring Beacon's students are at maximum efficiency.++**_

" An' you're not askin' my opinion over hangin' out with a bunch of _kids_?"

 _ **++You do not intend to leave Vale in search of Deag Grav, the demon cults and the Maidens they are pursuing until we receive reliable intelligence, I will make your maintain combat readiness during that time,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++Ozpin was correct in stating that you are not fighting Hell alone anymore.++**_

William gnashed his teeth. He was already sick of being told what to do – by this pompous artificial intelligence, by that self-righteous twat Ozpin, by his human weaknesses his protectiveness toward Team RWBY, Ruby especially.

"..." his anger and train of thought came to a halt. He can understand wanting to keep Ruby alive, her being a Silver Eyes and him no longer being the last of his kind. But why the others – Weiss, Blake and Yang? The spoilt little princess, the half-breed ex-terrorist and the reckless blonde _pervert_ respectively? William shook his head and grunted; probably because he hadn't seen anyone of the opposite sex. Again, human weaknesses and feelings that hit him like a sledgehammer after millennia of feeling nothing by rage and hatred toward demon kind and he had a lifetime to suppress it.

"..."

He suddenly remembered _something_.

 _ **++Blazkowicz?++**_

He reached for the faulds of his armor and the pockets, cautiously opening the third one from the left. Slowly reached a finger into it he realized he had held his breath in anticipation. Digging around the pocket he felt copper, and he sighed, despondent. Looping it around his finger he brought it out of his pocket and dropped it on the palm of his right hand.

It was a copper engagement ring – a Blazkowicz family heirloom given to the women from their men, from mothers to their sons. His father had brought it with him when he arrived on D'Nur, and not it was his.

"..."

William stepped over towards the window and opened it, walked toward the other wide of the room, tossed the ring in the air where it caught it in the palm of his hand, clenching a fist over it before swinging it toward the window, intent on throwing the ring out the window and ridding himself of the only thing that had him still bound to memories of the First Age. A sharp knocking on the door caused him to come to a halt mid-throw.

 _ **++You have company, Blazkowicz.++**_

"..." William blinked, opening the palm of his hand to stare down hard at the ring with barely masked contempt. Stepping over towards the study table he opened one of the shelves and wasn't delicate about depositing the ring into it and slamming it shut. He strode over towards the door and reached for the knob. He paused, realizing he was still dressed in a towel

William shuddered. If it was Ruby or her sister outside the door, no way he was giving them another free show. He glanced towards the dresser in the room and wondered if Ozpin had been feeling charitable. Opening the dresser, he reached for a shirt that just happened to be his size. William sighed as his eyes dimmed, he's going to feel weird adjusting to soft fabric clothing again.

 _ **(Hallway)**_

Yang was angry, no way around that. She didn't appreciate anyone telling her that her preferred style of fighting was going to get her, her sister and her team killed, that some computer calculated her odds of survival where slim to practically negative zero. Who did it think it was? And what made Blazkowicz better than her? Better than all of them.

"Yang, come on. It's not fair taking it out on William," Ruby was pulling at her arm as they stood outside the door. "VEGA was just suggesting-"

"That Blazkowicz 'drill' us?" Yang shot back before banging in his door. "I don't like being told I can't protect my own sister, Rubes, and I plan on making it clear that he can mind his own damn business."

"It wasn't William that was talking to us!" Ruby fired off, startling Yang. "And what's wrong with him showing us how to fight demons without getting blindsided again?" Ruby calmed herself. "I'm not stupid, Yang. We're all on edge here and-"

The door opened and revealed William to be dressed in a simple grey shirt and navy-blue pants. Instantly both sisters looked like they were deer caught in the headlights as the Doom Slayer towered over the two of them. Ruby smiled nervously, afraid that he might have heard their bickering through the door. William turned to Yang, "VEGA went behind my back?"

"Yep," Yang replied. She glared at him, "Do _you_ think I suck?"

"Depends," William gave her a wry look, "Feelin' bored bein' in one piece?"

(RWBY)

 _ **(Headmaster's Office)  
(Beacon Tower)**_

 _ **++He believes we're conspiring to manipulate him. I find it understandable.++**_

"It is," Ozpin agreed as he poured himself another cup of coffee, VEGA's name and image on his scroll's screen. "Trust is not so easily earned from one who has lived a lifetime of such...horror."

 _ **++Please be aware that this in the interests of fighting back against the forces of Hell,++**_ VEGA maintained. _**++In order to avoid of repetitious scenario like last night you will**_ _ **not**_ _ **make use of him as one of your own agents or otherwise – any information you provide him he will use at his own discretion. If Salem chooses to involves herself in this conflict Blazkowicz will deal with her, not on your word.++**_

Ozpin held his mug with both hands as he sat back in his chair. He never imagined anyone – an AI rather – could somehow come off as warningly with such a computerized voice as it's. "Noted. May I _assist_ you further?"

 _ **++Qrow..++**_

Ozpin blinked. It knew about Qrow? "What about him?"

 _ **++You have a message from an individual known as 'Qrow'.++**_

The Headmaster checked his incoming message and saw that it was sent from Qrow. Qrow Branwen, to be exact. He opened it.

ON WAY BACK TO VALE. WE'RE IN BIG TROUBLE, OZ!

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _I had to include the ring in this fic. I just had to. ^_^_

 _Last chapter I forgot Blake was supposed to be suffering from a concussion. I know concussions are supposed to take a long time to recover from, but I imagine with Aura people would be able to get over in about a few days or so, and Blake forced herself to confront William over his chainsaw._

 _Something else that also slipped my mind until now: Ozpin and Doom Slayer have a lot in common. We can't forget that Ozpin is probably just as old as the Doom Slayer, they've both been fighting for thousands of years, and they'd probably be able to give each other a good beating. But Ozpin has that air of optimism about him while Doom Slayer...William...has that grim resolve going for him, and if William found out how Ozpin has managed to survive for so long he would consider him an abomination._

 _As for William, I like to think I'm writing a protagonist who's actively trying to resist going through character development and failing miserably at it, in part due to Ozpin's machinations and his own subconscious craving for human contact. And he is really bitter about it._

 _To Guest: I'll assume you're referring to the writing mistake back in Chapter 10 regarding Yang getting hit point blank with a Hell blast but was miswritten so that Ruby looked like she had somehow mysteriously lost_ _ **her**_ _shirt as well. It's been fixed...so thanks for pointing that out. Which reminds me..._

 _After this update I'm going back to keeping the chapters between 5,000 to 9,000 words. Ever since Chapter 8 I feel like I'm just trying to cram as much as I can into each chapter so I can avoid writing filler and the story quality is beginning to suffer as a result. Hopefully this will mean faster updates in the future and avoiding possible burnout._

 _And finally, just for the hell of it..._

 **William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz III / Doom Slayer**  
 _English:_ Brian Bloom, Maile Flanagan (child)  
 _Japanese:_ Kazuya Nakai, Junko Takeuchi (child)

 _Same voice actors as B.J. from Wolfenstein: The New Order. The English voice actor I imagine sounds without the southern accent and closer to his performance from Kane & Lynch._


	13. Demon Seed I: This Train of Pain

_**v.2 Beta: tuckerman120**_

* * *

 _ **(Unknown Location…)**_

 **(14 Years Ago…)**

The screaming, thrashing, and sounds of furniture being upturned downstairs from the attic grew louder, glass breaking as if bodies were throwing themselves through the glass which was followed by gunfire, small arms. Skin was flensed from bone, muscle was torn, bone was broken, and walls were bored through underneath the weight of the little black-haired, amber-eyed close relations. She huddled in the corner of her attic clutching her security blanket, the only thing that could bring her solace whenever her parents invited their friends and family over for one of – what they would call – their 'adults-only parties'. There would always be screaming, blades being drawn and sharpened, and the mess having to be cleaned up the next day; the blood and the viscera along with other unmentionable fluids best left undescribed.

One last strangled scream followed by a crunch gave way to silence, and the little girl held her blankie that much tighter. She heard the sounds of what sounded like hooves making its way up the wooden stairs while it dragged something behind itself. She shivered when she heard the hoof-steps directly underneath her as it traversed the hallway, tapping the ceiling beneath the attic. She gasped lightly when she heard the ladder leading up to the attic door being lowered and the hoofs climbed upward and push against the attic door, tapping against it multiple times and causing the girl to throw the blanket over her head and whimper.

Silence. The hooves climbed back down the ladder. The girl pulled the blanket from her face, wondering if whatever it was had changed its mind. She heard hoof-steps down the hallway which stopped directly underneath her. Tried as hard as she might she could not stop herself from screaming as what appeared to be a fleshy tail smash itself up through the wooden ceiling into the attic right in front of the girl before the sheer strength behind the tail brought the ceiling down into the hallway, and the black-haired girl with it.

The girl moaned in pain when she realized she had landed on her left arm, possibly breaking it. When she dared to look up at the sight of the creature it numbed her pain. Naked and soaked head to toe in blood that matted its blonde hair and a blindfold covering its eyes. It could easily pass for a Faunus with its ox-horns sticking out of both sides of its head if not for its goat legs, long curling tail, and the black runes tattooed all over its body. Hefted over its shoulder was a bloody, dripping spinal column, the head of the girl's father on the dangling at the end of it, his face a twisted visage of both pain and pleasure.

Dropping her father's head and spine onto the ground the demon reached for the girl, who brought up her blanket in a vain attempt to shield herself. The demon snarled and tore it out of her grasp, ripping it in half before discarding the bloodied halves aside and reached for the girl again. Eldritch power erupted from downstairs, startling both the girl and the demon, which blindly turned around and the girl saw that it started to shiver in fright. Suddenly an unseen forced grabbed the demon by its left leg and tripped him up and felled him.

 _ **"NON! NON! NON SUSCIPE ME! EGO NON VOLO UT VADO TERGUM!"**_ the demon screamed as it tried to sink its sharpened nails into the floorboards, until the wood was lifted up and he was dragged down the stairs towards the living room. _**"NOOOOOOONNNNNNN-!"**_ One loud crack of black magic silenced it, leaving the girl alone in the wrecked hallway, nursing her broken arm.

In a pained daze she stood back up and with her free, uninjured arm she tucked her father's head under it and made her way down the blood covered stair towards the living room, where most of her family's 'adult parties' took place. The walls and floor were covered in blood, the curtains were torn and the windows were smashed, the furniture was upturned and in pieces and in the center of the room was a pentagram drawn with black paint on the wooden floor, candles still burning at the end of each point.

There were no bodies, however. No sign of what else was left of her father, her mother, and their friends. Like their remains had been dragged to Hell along with the demon their proclivities had summoned.

The girl was alone...

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed I:  
This Train of Pain...**

(RWBY)

 _ **(Warehouse, Upper Office)  
(Vale)**_

 _ **(Present Day...)**_

The woman thought the nightmares had gone away years ago but they had only recently resurfaced, and right after she had 'acquired' half of what she believed was rightfully hers. Staring up at the darkened warehouse ceiling from the queen-sized bed she laid in a cold sweat, eyes widened when she thought she was suffering from sleep paralysis. After a few minutes, she felt the muscles in her legs spasm from exhaustion, convincing her that she could move. She did so, sliding out from under the blankets and exposing her bare self to the moonlight that shone in from the window as she sat at the end of the bed and sighed into her palms.

 _"Bad dreams, Cinder?"_

She heard the rustling sound of hovering tentacles behind her, the coldness on her back as the Seer Grimm entered the room. Cinder sighed, trying to sound as pleasant as possible, "It's nothing. It's just dreams. They're nothing."

 _"They will pass in time. And once you have the entirety of Autumn's power, that same nothing will not be able to stand before you,"_ Salem said. _"It_ _will_ _fear you."_

Cinder smiled, before realizing that if she wanted that power her plans still hinged on the Vytal Festival still happening in Vale. She put on a mask of impassiveness when she turned to face the Seer, "In light of some complications, we may have to accelerate our timetable." She paused, "If they were to cancel the Vytal Festival, however~"

 _"If that does happen you will find a way to compensate, especially if our new players show themselves again,"_ Salem cut her off, the seriousness of that statement almost causing Cinder to step back away from the Seer, especially with how it raised its tentacle as if ready to wrap them around her throat.

"Understood," Cinder nodded.

 _"Before any of that however, I want you to deal with the one of those 'complications',"_ Salem instructed firmly. _"William Joseph Blazkowicz the Third. He was responsible for overstimulating my Grimm and causing the first of the frenzies just by his presence in Vale, and, according to Professor Lionheart, he just happened to have nearly singlehandedly fought off the so-called demon invasion of Beacon."_

This piqued Cinder's interest, once again smiling sultrily. "And now Ozpin has him?"

 _"And most likely told only_ his _biased side of the story,"_ Salem replied. _"It's only fair that a being as ancient, powerful and no doubt wise as Blazkowicz deserves to be properly enlightened, wouldn't you say?"_

Cinder couldn't argue with that. "Yes."

 _"I'll leave to your it discretion. One way or another, Blazkowicz ceases to be a threat,"_ Salem said _. "Demons or no, the events of late will change nothing, understand?"_ Cinder nodded. _"Good."_

Salem's voice ceased to be heard. The Seer Grimm turned and floated out of the moonlight and out of the room, leaving the naked woman standing there, a confident smile on her face. So, there exists an immortal killing whose mere existence drives Grimm to madness, and Salem wants him.

Cinder smirked. It was thing to hear about such a man. It was another to actually meet him. And perhaps even _kill_ him.

"A man after my own heart."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Training Field #2)  
(Beacon Academy)**_

 _ **(Three Days Later...)**_

Ruby's body ached all over as she tried to push herself up from the ground, the grass and dirt getting all over the gym clothes provided to her by the school. Wiping the dirt from her eyes she quickly made out William running straight for her, and despite the pain she reacted fast enough to avoid getting punted a second time into the air, countering with an upward kick to the side of his head. William blocked it with his left palm, closing it around her foot and lifted it up then sending her falling and screaming comically right on her back.

William grunted, "Your hand to hand _sucks_."

Ruby coughed, feeling her Aura starting to bottom out. Frowning she retorted, "Really? You didn't happen to notice yesterday? Or the day _before_? Feels like I've spent more time lying on the back than standing on my feet trying to land a stupid hit."

"..." William put his fists up. "Again! Guard drill. Onslaught. Ten minutes."

"Aww..." Ruby whined, dreading another one of William's patented guard training sessions, where she and the other girls had to each survive ten minutes of the Doom Slayer relentlessly pounding on them, whether be by dodging them or guarding against them. As expected, Yang was the only was to have gone the whole ten minutes without her Aura shattering. "Can't we go back to practicing with our weapons already?" Ruby feebly protested.

"Not until ya' land a hit on me," William responded. "You still haven't." He curved his pointer finger. "Up."

"RUBY! B.J.!" They turned to see Yang running towards them, herself also dressed in gym clothes and looking very unhappy. "Ruby, I thought I said to wait for me before we started."

Ruby dipped her head, "Sorry, Yang. I just...didn't feel like watching William lay you out again."

Yang looked outraged and levelled a glare over at William. For the past three days, they had been performing drill with the Doom Slayer none of them hadn't been able to land a single hit on the guy. Clad in his Praetor suit he would wipe the floor with each of member of Team RWBY – quickly devising strategies against each of their weapons and Semblances and leaving each of them thoroughly bruised, and with just his fists too. Yang had expected him to just break out and declare, 'Guns are for wusses,' at any moment, he was that dangerous with just his own two gauntlets.

Who would have thought someone without Aura could hit so hard? Was it the suit? Was it really just pure strength behind his punches? Was it something else as well?

"Hey, how did Weiss, Blake and JNPR get out of this?" Yang demanded.

"Weiss said she needed to go practice with her glyphs and Blake said something-" Ruby only got that far before William spun around and suddenly grabbed Blake seemingly out of thin hair by the scruff of her shirt, lifted her up in the air and slamming her on the ground. "...about getting the drop on...William?"

"...ow," Blake groaned. "How'd you even~" She stopped when saw how intense William had become.

"..." William noticed he was standing in the center of a spinning glyph. He instinctively dove out of way, quickly noticing a gleam of white out of the corner of his eye and jerked his head sideway to avoid a small, delicate fist from skimming across his face courtesy of Weiss. William caught Weiss' gut with his knee, knocking the wind and saliva right out of her, the Doom Slayer following up with a sweeping kick that sent her flying across the field, bouncing off the ground and landing on her stomach.

He turned toward Yang, crossing his arms to guard against a powerful haymaker courtesy of the blonde brawler, knocking him back and staggering him. With a grin Yang followed up with a dropkick that knocked William down on his ass before launching herself in the air, her Aura ablaze as she brought her fist down at the Slayer. William rolled backward onto his feet, Yang's fist embedding itself into the ground and leaving her open for him to hit Yang with a left hook that sent her falling and landing at Ruby's feet.

"SIS!" Ruby exclaimed, getting on her knee and quickly checking Yang for injuries. Her Aura had held, thankfully.

"I'm fine!" Yang exclaimed. "Lemme' up~"

"Hold on," Ruby cried. "You...you girls planned this?"

"Urghh..." Weiss groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose as she sat up. "It was Yang's idea to try and land at least one hit on Blazkowicz. These past three days have been ridiculous."

"..." William blinked. "I'm annoyin' you that much?"

"Annoying?!" Yang growled and wiped her mouth, muttering, " _Three_ days of this bullshit!" She yelled at William, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Blake sighed, "Apparently, someone who's being doing this a lot longer than we have~"

"I meant, you're _holding_ back, Blazkowicz!" Yang exclaimed, surprising everyone. Even William's eyes lit up with that declaration. "Don't ask me how but I know that, unlike the rest of us, you're the one not giving it everything you've got."

Ruby gulped, "Yang?"

"..." William snorted. "An' if I brain you by mistake?"

Yang's eyes widened. A predatory grin followed, "You can try."

Weiss looked disgusted, "Excuse you?" The blonde cracked her neck followed by her knuckles. Weiss looked alarmed, "You...you can't be serious."

"HEY!" Ruby smiled nervously and drew Crescent Rose seemingly out of nowhere. "What say we stop skinning our knuckles and go practice with~" Suddenly William slapped the scythe right of out Ruby's hands, as it landed on the grass. Ruby quickly leaned back as she dodged William's uppercut before raising her left arm to guard against his kick. To her teammate's surprise, and Yang's astonishment, she wasn't sent flying; her knees were bent as she leant back, her eyes wide as saucers as her Aura held, and holding William's leg mid-kick.

"..." William lowered his leg. "Guess you ain't totally hopeless without your scythe."

"Hopeless?!" Yang cried. "Did you just call my sister~?!"

"Uh...thanks," Ruby smiled, unsure. She remembered that wasn't the first time William had blindsided her, that first time knocking her a fair bit across the training field. Now it felt like she had sensed it coming and took action, like William had been honing her reflexes over the past three days. Guess this means William wasn't just using her teammates and her as punching bags after all.

William turned to Yang, "That wasn't holdin' back, was it?"

"HEY!" Weiss cried when Yang shoved her aside so that she was in William's face.

"You've got balls picking on my sister right in front of me, Blazkowicz."

"..." William frowned. "Do your hair up."

"What?"

"Do. Your. Hair. Up," William uttered, sinisterly. "We talked 'bout some Baron tearin' your scalp off~"

Yang poked him in the chest, "That's never gonna happen. No one ever touches my hair and get away with~OW!" In the blink of an eye William's hand reached over and grabbed Yang's hair, yanking on it and forcing her down on her knees. "AH...WHAT~? LET GO!"

Weiss and Blake watched on with a mixture of disgust and befuddlement toward the Slayer's abhorrent treatment of Yang. "W-WILLIAM?!" Ruby cried. "Why are you~?! What are you doing?"

"ARGH!" Yang screamed and scratched away at William's hands as William yanked her up and forcing her to stand right back up. Her eyes blazed red, "LET GO OF MY HAIR YOU ASSHOLE!" She shoved William back, gritting her teeth as she massaged her aching scalp. She glared hatefully at William now, "WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Weiss' eyes lit up with realization. She smirked, "He just proved a point, Yang."

Blake shivered and ran a hand through her own hair, imagining a demon getting its hands on it, "Crude as he was."

"I don't care!" Yang shouted, running a hand through her golden locks. "You had no right to mess with my hair!"

"Yang?" Ruby said quietly. "I..."

William glared right back at her, "Neither does Hell." William cracked his knuckles, "You gonna go cry to em' if they ruffle your hair outta shape?"

 _ **VIOLENCE  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST**_

Ruby gasped lightly and stepped as far back as she could, silently imploring Weiss and Blake to follow suit. Yang narrowed her eyes darkly at the Slayer, "Say that again?"

"...you're deaf now?"

 _ **"RAAARGHHHHHH!"**_ Yang literally exploded as she hurled herself at the Doom Slayer, throwing a right hook that William easily dodged, balling his fists together and launching a counter that nailed Yang in the ribs, sending her spiraling in the air and landing on her side on the grass. Yang slammed a fist into the grass and stood back up, to see William raising his fists and getting into his own fighting stance. The brawler cried out as she went for him, launching a straight jab that he batted aside with his left hand before countering with his own cross punch, nailing Yang in the face and winding her long enough to not guard against the insane amount of punches William unleashed, hitting her in the chest and stomach that knocked the wind and saliva out of her and finishing with an uppercut which Yang managed to grab onto to, grinning, as she tried to twist his hand hard enough to force him down on his knees.

In a show of strength, however, William simply _lifted_ Yang off the ground. She had shock on her face when she found herself clutching onto his fist when she realized she was in the air right before William slammed her back on the ground, stretching her foot out to kick her while she was down. She countered by swinging her own leg to strike his leg and using her strength to leave him staggering back on one foot, leaping back up onto her feet and hurling herself at him, unleashing a flurry of punches that he raised his left arm to block against before slamming his head against hers in a headbutt, dazing her long enough for William to get behind her, lock her arms with hers and suplexed her. Yang bounced off the ground and landed on her front while William looked barely even winded.

Yang groaned and struggled to push herself up, feeling like her Semblance was trying to keep up with the amount of damage William was inflicting on her. She pressed on, however, unleashing another hail of punches that William dodged and swerved around. _Damn it, how can a guy this big move so fast?_ Yang thought. William shoulder charged Yang and striking her hip with his knee, leaving her open for another of his own flurry of punches, each blow feeling like it broke something inside her right before William put his foot down on her leg. She grunted in pain as she fell to her knees, and William's knee made impact with face. The crunch loud enough for Ruby, Weiss, and Blake to each recoil, with Ruby grabbing her own face when she believed she felt that.

Like her, William's biggest draw in close-combat was a combination of strength and speed; but unlike her his fighting style was completely _offensive_ , as in pure attack and no room for defense, having to rely on being able to repeatedly dodge his opponent's strikes to avoid damage, and being able to read their movements seemingly before they even made him.

Perfect for dodging fireballs, rockets, and plasma projectiles. Which has proved to be a nightmare for Yang since they had started training together, and he was liberal with his kicks which was something that she always had trouble defending against. Hell, William was just playing off his weaknesses while shrugging off her strengths, namely her ability to tank massive amounts of damage, all the while showing no signs of exertion.

No struggling to stand and feeling like she was one big broken bone with her Aura was finally starting to give out Yang couldn't stop herself from flashing William a coy smile, "Had enough?" William stepped forward and raised a finger to his hairline, pinching a bit of his hair and narrowing his eyes. Yang growled, her eyes going red again and she charged him again, William dodged her punch and stuck his foot out to trip her. And to grab her by the air, keeping her face from hitting the ground and make her feel like he was about to tear her scalp off, before hoisting her backward enough to slam her onto the ground. William finished her off by slamming his foot down on her gut, smashing her Aura and leaving her a pained, exhausted mess as she clutched her stomach in pain as her Aura fizzled out.

"YANG!" Ruby ran past William, practically sliding across the grass as she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her sister. "A-are you ok?"

Yang gritted her teeth, in obvious pain, "I...felt that one." So far this was definitely the biggest beaten she had gotten from William. "Ah...fuck..." Yang rubbed her aching face and stared down William angrily. "All of that because of my stupid hair?"

 _ **++Making sure your opponent cannot grab hold of anything is paramount to survival in the field, Ms. Xiao Long,++**_ VEGA communicated from William's scroll that was lying on a rock some feet away. ++ _ **As Blazkowicz has mentioned and quite clearly demonstrated, if a demon or any other opponent in general gets a hold if you~++**_

"It wouldn't be pretty, I get it...ow..." Yang groaned when she felt her scalp. "Anything else about me you want to criticize?"

"Your temper for one," Weiss crossed her arms. "The way you kept throwing yourself at Blazkowicz and leaving yourself open it's like you keep asking for another beating."

Yang felt her left eye twitch, "My...temper?"

The heiress rolled her eyes, bothered that she had to repeat herself, "Your temper."

Ruby chucked nervously, "Heh heh...yeah, sis. No offence but when you get really mad you...well it's like you don't see anything but whoever it is that you're trying to beat up. And that can be a problem."

 _ **++Those statements are correct,++**_ VEGA said. _**++Blazkowicz can attest to that.++**_

William turned to stare angrily at his scroll on the rock, before closing his eyes and exhaling, frustration. "William?" Ruby wondered. "Is there something we should know?"

"...ran on pure rage for eons," William replied. "Til' they dropped a temple on top o' me." And the next thing he knew he was suffering thousands and thousands of years' worth of nightmares, his 'silent suffering' as it were.

Yang blinked, "That's what it took to finally bring you down?" William nodded. The blonde smirked, "Must've been a really big temple." William cast a shadow over the fallen brawler as he stood above her. Yang's eyes widened and she swallowed when the silver in his eyes shone brightly as his head obscured the sun, until William extended his hand toward her.

"Who taught you to fight?" William asked.

"My dad," Yang replied as she accepted his hand and he lifted her up. "Did yours teach you rip and tear through everything in your path?"

"..." William didn't answer at first, right before looked embittered, still holding Yang's hand. "No." Yang glanced down between when she saw they were still holding hands and cringing when she felt his grip tighten, quickly pointing a finger downward. William realized what he was doing and let go of her.

Ruby whistled as she clasped her hands behind her back before turning towards William's scroll, "Sooooo...VEGA, it's been three days already. How are we doing?"

 _ **++Through analysis of your-++**_

Yang growled, "Just give us a number."

 _ **++Sixty. Sixty percent chance of imminent death during a Level 4 Widescale Untethered Cross Dimensional Event.++**_

"..." silence came over Team RWBY, all of them staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed over the AI just casually pointing out the odds of their survival. "I guess we keep 'training', then?" Blake deadpanned.

William walked over toward the rock, reached behind it and picked up the chainsaw. He revved it up and turned toward Team RWBY, a totally dissonant look on his face. "Volunteers?"

Ruby looked like she was close to being overjoyed before snatching Crescent Rose up from the ground, "Me first!"

 _ **(Training Field #3)**_

Striking at the training dummy Ren paused only for a moment when he heard the sounds of Team RWBY training in the next field past the trees, which was cacophony of ecstatic shouting, hurried screaming, blades colliding with each other, explosions and the occasional 'birdy no!' Suddenly he was glad Team JNPR didn't go along with Yang's plan to ambush William just because she felt he wasn't challenging her enough. He was momentarily distracted again when an uplifted tree landed right beside him, blowing dust and leaves everywhere before Nora landed right on top of it, hefting her hammer Magnhild over her shoulder and with a big smile on her face.

"Wow, sounds like Blazko's going all out," Nora chirped. "Almost disappointed we didn't agree to join in."

"I'm not quite ready for Blazkowicz to 'go right out' on us, Nora," Ren admitted, closing his eyes. The way William was about to break his guard and match him blow to blow still fresh in his mind. "Felt like we were training with a monster."

"Yeah, and I thought I knew how to train hard," Nora chuckled. "Speaking of him, how's Jaune and Pyrrha doing?"

They turned in time to see Jaune get laid out "You forgot to keep your shield up, Jaune," Pyrrha pointed out as she lowered Miló in its sword configuration and stared down at Jaune as he laid on his back, Crocea Mors in both of his hands – sword and shield – and looking embarrassed with himself.

"I...uh...just slipped. That's all," Jaune chuckled as he got back up. "Back to it...YAH!" he swung his sword overhead which Pyrrha blocked easily when she raised Akoúo̱, shoulder-charging Jaune and swinging Miló, Jaune blocking her attack with his shield and managing to keep his balance before thrusting his sword, again Pyrrha easily parrying him before quickly transforming her weapon into it's spear configuration and performing a riposte, thrusting Miló into Jaune's chest-plate, stunning him and leaving Pyrrha free to swing her spear into Jaune's chest, causing in to spin in midair as he fell back to the ground.

Pyrrha gasped when she thought she hurt him, "Jaune!" She dropped Miló and magnetized Akoúo̱ to her back as she knelt beside Jaune. "Are you alright?"

Jaune blinked, stunned more by Pyrrha showing concern for him than that fact she nearly impaled him. "I...I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha blurted out, holding her hands as if she couldn't decide whether to touch him or not. "I...I thought that was easy enough for you to counter or doge or~"

Jaune smiled reassuringly and grasped her hands, "Hey Pyrrha, it's ok!" His smile slowly became a nervous one as he gently pushed her back, "I'll be ready for you next time?"

 _Next time?_ Pyrrha wondered. Training with Jaune over the past three days in preparation for Beacon's re-opening she could tell his skill was middling at best, almost non-existent at worst; as if the Grimm and undead attack on Vale was the first time he had ever handled a sword; and yet here he was at Beacon, the most prestigious Huntsman academies on Remnant, and he had to have at least gone through Combat School from wherever he came from to get here.

The Champion of Mistral shivered. She didn't want to assume the worst.

"Hey, what up dweebs?!"

Worst came along in the form of Team CRDL stepping onto the field past the tree from the direction of the academy, Cardin with a shit-eating smirk on his face and his mace held over his shoulder, his teammates also looking like they were ready to pick a fight with their weapons out and armor spiff and ready for more blood to be spilled on them. Not demonic blood, _human_ blood.

"Hey, Cardin... _right_?" Jaune didn't know the guy but tried to be friendly nonetheless. "What are you guys doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Russel asked. "We're here to train."

Pyrrha blinked, "Well, the field's big enough~"

"For one team," Cardin grabbed Jaune by the scruff of his gym shirt and lifted him up so that they were eye to eye. "And a few _training dummies_." The bully's teeth were almost shark-like, "Guess who just got volunteered?" He paused when he felt Miló javelin poking the side of his skull, "Oh?"

Pyrrha noted Russell, Dove and Sky with their weapon drawn and glaring her way as her extended weapon was pointed at Cardin. "Let go of him. Right. Now." Nora and Ren approached Team CRDL, brandishing StormFlower and Magnhild threateningly.

"Wait, Pyrrha~" Jaune choked out as Cardin started the twist of the fabric of his gym shirt around his neck.

"Yes 'Champion of Mistral', this is between us," Cardin sneered. He narrowed his eyes, "Think I know why Pyrrha Nikos herself got put on your team, you suck this much ~"

Everyone heard the sounds of wood splintering as something was sent hurtling through the trees before skidding across Field #3 on its own two feet and slowing to a stop before Team JNPR and CRDL. Both teams found themselves staring William J. Blazkowicz III's armored back, his arms crossed in front of him like he had just braced himself against a very powerful strike. Lowering his arms and turning to face the mystified 1st Year students they could see smoke rising from a scorch mark on his chest.

"Blazko!" Nora chimed happily.

Cardin let go of Jaune. He coughed as he staggered backward and rubbing his bruised neck the middling swordsman smiled and asked, "D-did Yang manage to land a hit on you?"

"..." William ignored Jaune and turned his attention squarely on Cardin and his team. A lengthy amount of silence passed, Cardin's wide-eyed look of surprise twisted into a scowl.

"Yeah, ease off the silent tough-guy bullshit Blazkowicz, you know it's me...we kicked demon ass together, remember? All five of us," Cardin indicated himself and his team. He gave a half-hearted nudge towards JNPR. "Plus, these losers too I guess." He smiled, "It's another four days 'till classes start and we keep seeing you head out to train with these gimps~"

"...point being?" William interjected, causing Cardin to be taken back. "You want in on this?"

Normally he would have decked the next person to cut him off like that, but William just happened to be wearing his helmet, so Cardin replied with a confident, "I just sayin' that a badass like you can do better than hanging out with bunch of geeks." He pointed at thumb at himself. "Try some _real_ Huntsmen."

"'Real'?" Nora stuck her tongue out.

With William around Jaune felt a confidence boost. "I don't thinking kicking a half-dead Imp counts for anything, Cardin?" he said, Pyrrha and Ren nodding in agreement.

"Why, you little ass~!" Cardin tried reaching for Jaune only for William to grab him wrist. "Hey, what're you~?" The Slayer suddenly raised his free hand and flicked him between the eyes, knocking him off his feet; Russell, Dove and Sky each crying out and leaping out the way as Cardin landed on his posterior on the grass.

"Cardin!" Sky exclaimed as Cardin winced and rubbed his aching behind. "You alright, man?"

"Whoa, one little love tap and Cardin's _outta_ here," Nora declared giddily.

Cardin tore his arm away from Sky when he tried to help him up and grabbed his mace, "You just made a big mistake, you steel _**freak**_!"

Everyone questioned Cardin's sanity as he clearly was trying to escalate things. "You do realize whom you're trying to pick a fight with now, right?" Ren pointed out.

"Uh...yeah, Cardin," Dove looked uncertain about what their team leader was getting him and his teammates into. "Maybe we shouldn't piss this guy off."

Cardin wiped his mouth the back of his hand and chuckled scornfully, "Why not?! You take away the guns and the suit and what's left? Nothing!" Cardin's voice was raised now. "No Aura, no Semblance, just some soulless nobody who got lucky and killed a few monsters."

 _Aiiiiii_... Jaune mentally hissed, doing a double take between Cardin and William. Again no one could tell how he was taking Cardin's insults, but judging from his body language it would seem he's fairly composed.

"...wanna go?"

"Huh?" Cardin's eyes widened when William took his helmet revealing the fading bruises on his face beside his narrow-eyed irritation. William dropped his helmet on the ground and cracked the joints in his wrists. "Y-you're serious?"

William's smile looked unsettling to see, "Spent too long relyin' on the suit." He cracked his neck, "Could do with a warmup."

"..." Sky, Bronze and Russell all gripped their weapons tightly and made sure to stay behind Cardin, who appeared to have been taken back by the Doom Slayer's confidence and had thoroughly eaten his words. Cardin played it off, however. He snorted. "Tch...let's get outta here. This _golem_ isn't worth our time." He glared over his shoulder at Jaune as he and his team walked off, "I'll leave you alone with your scraggly butt boy and his team of losers."

"..." William glared as he watched them leave, rightfully disgusted by Cardin's remark. Again, another asshole had to have the last word. He bent over and picked up his helmet, dusting it off around the Mark of the Doom Slayer.

Nora pointed at the direction where Cardin had walked off and asked, "Did he just say...?"

William noticed Jaune was left uncomfortable by Cardin's parting words, even more so when saw that William was staring his way. "Arc?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Relax."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Right, yeah. Cardin was just being a di~"

" _Scraggly_ ain't my type," William added understandably freaking Jaune out, and no one could tell if he was being serious or joking around at Jaune's expense. He paused, "Weren't gonna try an' blindside me today?"

 _He has a type?_ Jaune thought, bewildered. He shook his head and answered, "Yeah...uh...that was Yang's idea. I decided that we preferred to live."

William stared blankly at Jaune, "I wouldn't have gon' that far." He blinked before adding, "Probably."

" _YOOOOHOOOOOOO_...WILLIAM!" they heard Ruby call out from the tree line separating the fields.

"WHERE'D YOU GO, B.J.!" Yang shouted. "I DIDN'T PUNCH YA' TOO FAR, DID I?!"

William and Team JNPR turned to see Team RWBY step onto the field from the forest, Blake jumping down from the branches and landing on both feet on the ground, Weiss grimacing as she brushed the leaves off her gym shirt, Yang was rubbing her aching fist while Ruby still had Crescent Rose in her hands. Weiss stuck her tongue out in disgust when she noticed dirt on her hand before seeing that William was with Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren, "Did we interrupt anything?"

"Nah, you just missed William chasing Cardin off and _rejecting_ Jaune," Nora chimed, drawing a scandalous gasp from Ruby. Jaune looked at her wearily, Pyrrha giving her the stink eye and Ren facepalming. She could only smile and add, "I'm joking. He's knows I'm joking."

William put his helmet on. He saw that the scorch mark on his chest plate was still smoldering, "..."

Yang smirked triumphantly. "Hey VEGA, what do I get for managing to land a hit on B.J.?"

 _ **++Knowledge that you stand a modicum of a chance against the demon's elite.++**_

Yang's mood soured considerably, "That's all?"

"It's only been three days," Blake pointed. "And you just got one hit in. He was just about to wipe the floor with us...again."

"Yes, is this your idea of training to fight demons, Blazkowicz?" Weiss asked heatedly. "You relentlessly coming at us and forcing us to repeatedly avoid your blows and we have to _somehow_ try to remain on the attack because relying on defense just leaves us open?"

"I think that's the point," Ren stated.

"Those demons were relentless," Pyrrha said. "And they didn't leave us much time to keep our guard up." She turned to William, "They rely mostly on offense, overwhelming their target with numbers and firepower, leaving no room for them guard." Pyrrha paused as she reflected on that desperate battle days ago. "Like you."

"..." William nodded. "You don't give em' an inch."

Weiss snorted, "So...it's all about throwing ourselves against the demons harder than they do? Like we are berserkers?"

"...ain't dainty enough for ya'?" William inquired.

Weiss glared at William's attempt to rile her up, "I...am not going to respond to that."

"Jus' did," William sounded like he just smirked, drawing the heiress' ire.

"ANYWAYS!" Yang smirked and backfisted the scorch mark on William's chest-plate. "That's for messing with my hair." She crossed her arms, "I'll be sleeping well tonight."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Team RWBY's Room)**_

(Later that night...)

Yang was having a problem trying to get some shut eye on account of Ruby screaming in her sleep, once again in the grip of yet another horrific night terror, lying in a fetal position and holding her pillow against the back of her head and bending it so that covered her ears. The same were said of Weiss and Blake, each looking utterly bedraggled.

"...Yang...?" Blake groaned out.

Yang gritted her teeth and threw the covers off, tossing her pillow to the side as she went over to Ruby, writhing about in her sleep, "Hey! Ruby? RUBY?!" Yang panicked when she saw her clawing away at her own arms enough to break the skin and draw blood. "C'mon, you have to wake up!"

Ruby jolted awake, a sweating, tearful mess. "Wha~? **NO** _ **!**_ " Ruby suddenly shoved Yang back and clamored backward toward the wall. ''S-stay away from me!"

Yang looked genuinely hurt, "Ruby?"

"STAY AWAY!" Ruby barked. "I'M _**DANGEROUS**_!"

"Ruby!" Blake exclaimed. The Reaper turned to see Blake looking at her pleadingly, "It's over."

"O-over?"

Weiss nodded, "Yes. You're awake."

"And you're here with us," Yang smiled as she reached out for sister, whom thankfully didn't try to resist her and allowed her to wrap her arms around her in a gentle embrace, resting her chin against her shoulder.

Ruby looked at her trembling hands, briefly smiling in relief before it twisted into a pained grimace and she broke down into sobs, crying into her older sister's shoulder and returned the hug. Blake and Weiss watched on, pity and sorrow on their faces though the heiress tried her best to hide it by shifting her weight so that she was facing the door, but occasionally glanced at Ruby over shoulder.

"...we...we were back at the amphitheater on our first day here and...those demonized students that were blocking our way to the portal..." Ruby cried, hiccupping a bit. "...they were crying, asking me 'Why did you kill me, Ruby?' over and over again."

Yang sniffed, closing her eyes as she continued to hold her sister, _Ruby...at least it wasn't about mom again._

"They surrounded me and I...I kept screaming for help, but William couldn't get to me and-" Ruby broke out in sobs again.

 _William?_ Yang thought. She had hoped William would save her? She let her cry for a bit before she asked, "Ruby?"

"...hmm?"

"Why did you say that you were dangerous?"

"We... _I_ killed those people, remember?" Ruby pulled away from Yang to look her in the eyes.

"There wasn't anything we could have done," Weiss said. "There wasn't anything left of them by that point."

"I know, but~" Ruby dipped her head. "I'm scared...to go back to sleep."

"..." Yang sighed and smiled a bit. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Lie down for me, would you?"

"Why would I...oh..."

Lights were out once again, this time Ruby was sharing her bed with Yang, the elder sister fast asleep and holding her against her chest, her heartbeat comforting enough for Ruby to settle down and feel her eyelids grow heavy. Ruby smiled a bit, she remembered crawling into Yang's bed at night whenever she had bad dreams, especially after their mother went. Looking over Yang's shoulder she could see that Weiss and Blake were also asleep.

Her sister laid beside her, but she was still afraid to go to sleep. She remembered that it was William she had cried out for in her dream. Looking over at the window she remembered that William was staying in the guest wing of this building. As quietly as she could she slowly lifted her legs out from the covers and as gently and as quietly as she could she moved over her sister.

Her feet on the carpet she tip-toed over towards the window and quietly opened it.

 _ **(Blazkowicz's Room)**_

After a lifetime in Hell sleeping with his back against a wall with weapon in hand and one eye figuratively open, William couldn't see himself sleeping on a soft, comforting bed. And after another lifetime flat on his back in a cold sarcophagus he couldn't bring himself to willfully lay down on his back for any period of time ever. So that left him sitting in the corner opposite the door leading into his room, shotgun in his hands. He didn't look any less peaceful with his eyes closed and his breathing slow, his appearance that of someone who looked like he was finally having a peaceful moment.

Which disappeared when his opened his eyes and looked ahead at the window, and the red blinds covering it. Standing up he grunted as he cracked his back and shoulders before walking over to the window, shotgun in hand, and pulling the blinds apart, revealing Ruby in her black, school-provided pajamas, was standing in front of the closed window with her hands against the glass and an awkward smile on his face.

"..." William blinked tiredly, appearing unsurprised to see her.

Ruby swallowed, seeing him dressed in only a t-shirt and boxers. "I...couldn't sleep."

Was she serious? "..."

"Can I come in?"

"..." William looked like he needed a few moments to contemplate. He opened his window and Ruby came awkwardly tumbling in landing face first on the ground. Ignoring her William shut the window.

Ruby picked herself up brushed herself. Much of his room was bathed in moonlight and she could see how simple he kept it. The desk that had his weapons lying on it, a serious no-no when it came to gun safety and storage, and the crate of ammunition pushed against the wall to the right of the door. She turned to the Slayer, "Um...William?"

William blinked, "Yes?"

"You don't mind if I sleep here tonight?" Ruby gave a small smile and stared down at the floor, shyly. "I've had bad dreams..."

"..." She was serious.

 _"I...I can't sleep B.J."_

 _"I...I had a bad dream...about grandfather."_

 _"The old bastard can't do anything to us anymore."_

 _"Naughty word!"_

 _"...can I sleep with you? Just for tonight, please?"_

"No."

Ruby looked deflated, "No?"

"I don't mind."

The Reaper perked up a bit and smiled, "Oh, thanks." She picked the empty bed to the left that she saw how no one sleeping in it and sighed as she got under the covers. She tried making small talk, "So, William, we've got four days until classes start so what are we~?" She saw that William was sitting down in the corner of the room opposite the door, propping himself up with shotgun in hand.

"..." Ruby breathed in hard. It was same way he slept while they journeyed to Vale. And here at Beacon in his room he felt more comfortable sleeping on the floor. _Were things really so horrible for you, you can't even sleep in a bed anymore?_ Ruby sniffled.

Staring at the ceiling she found sleep wasn't coming to her at all, not with William sitting alone in the corner. She closed her eyes and sighed. Grabbing her pillow, she got out of bed and went over to William and plopping down beside him, the pillow against her back and using it as support as she rested herself against the Slayer's shoulder. William opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to see Ruby's curious behavior and wondering if that girl truly was insane if she thought she'd be safer sleeping right beside him like this.

"..." William studied her face closely and saw that she was already out like a light, a small, peaceful smile on her face.

He sighed, adjusting himself a bit so that Ruby could rest her head comfortably on his shoulder, his shotgun lying on the floor in front of them. Instead of reaching for it William just crossed his arms and closed his eyes, content to just sit in the corner with Ruby and drift off to sleep.

He didn't have any dreams for the rest of the night.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Dining Hall)**_

 _ **(The Next Morning)**_

Four days after the attack on Beacon and the Dining Hall was the second facility to be reopened. The builders were still installing the windows, but at the least the bodies had been removed so that Beacon's upcoming student body could eat their breakfasts sitting at a proper table and not on a grass in at outdoor hospice. And none were happier about that then Weiss as she dug into what she considered to be real food and was quite happily enjoy it. That is Nora resumed reading the new rules for Beacon Academy off her scroll out loud...

"'Whenever engaged in sexual intercourse at least two forms of birth control are recommended to be used at all times,'" Nora said, causing Weiss to gag and nearly choke on her food while Yang just erupted into laughter. "These can be acquired free of charge at the Nurse's Office."

"That's...urghhh!" Weiss made a disgusted face. "Really? _That's_ part of the new rules?"

Blushing, Pyrrha stated, "Well they really can't stop people from...you _know_ , guess all they can do is remind everyone to take precautions."

"Precautions against _what_?" Ruby looked up from her plate. "Sorry, I wasn't listening~"

"Not for your ears, little sis'," Yang smirked and covered Ruby's ears, causing Ruby to pout comically.

She crossed her arms, "Bet William would tell me." Silence overtook the entire table they were all sitting at, prompting an immediate, insecure response, "What?"

"You...spent the night in Williams' room?" Blake asked.

Ruby nodded, "The nightmares I was having, I felt - I dunno - safer with him, I guess."

"..." Yang became oddly silent. "...I see."

"Nothing against you, sis', I swear," Ruby put her hands up. "I just...didn't want to risk waking you, Weiss and Blake again so..." she looked up from her seat. "I wonder where he is?" Ruby had woken up alone in his room lying on one of the beds, William having obviously laid her there before. Ruby returned to their room, walking in her pajamas down the hallway. Thankfully, no one had seen her exit Williams' room in the guest wing where they wake off misconstrued it in a heartbeat.

Yang however looked like she wasn't convinced it was as pure as Ruby had made it all out to be judging from how unhappy she looked. Nora had to give voice to it. "Gee Yang, you're acting like she snuck into his room so they can~?" Nora suddenly felt Ren cover her mouth and hiss into her ear, "Rennnnnn...?!"

Jaune groaned, ''Aw, jeez."

The air around their table became a bit warmer, Ruby and Blake edging as far away from Yang as her eyes went red, "Stop. Talking."

"About what?" Ruby loudly complained. "Why's everyone getting angry at William? I snuck into his room to do _what_?" Speak of the devil she noticed William step into the dining hall, tray in hand and dressed in a shirt and pants, sandals on his feet. She smiled as she stood and waved to him, "WILLIAM! OVER HERE!"

The entire hall went silent, every head turning to see the Doom Slayer himself dressed in civvies and holding a tray full of food. At that William shifted his tray so he could hold it with one hand, leaving him to give a small, awkward wave with his free hand. Everyone suddenly went about their business, this awkward exchange ending as quickly as it had started. William saw Ruby waving at him and sighed, stepping over toward them.

Sitting down at the edge of the table beside Blake everyone saw that had filled his tray almost to the brim – two servings of oatmeal, hash, sausages, eggs, various fruits – enough for two people. "You sure you got enough?" Blake remarked.

"Has to be. Blazko's a big guy," Nora stated

William was about to dig in when he noticed Yang glaring at him. Should've seen this coming, William thought. He decided he didn't want this to escalate so he glared back harder at Yang and called her a, "Perv."

This left Yang understandably gob smacked, "What?!"

"..." William continued to glare at the blonde, making her feel considerably small.

"William?" Ruby did a double take between the Slayer and the Brawler. "Yang? Why are you getting angry over me sleeping with~?"

"In the same room _as_ ~" William cut in.

"...William?" Ruby finished, confused more than ever.

Weiss covered her face and groaned into her hands, "Good lord."

"Wow, this is actually happening," Jaune piped up.

William turned to Jaune, "What is?" Back to Yang he said, "Nothin's wrong. Nothin' inappropriate happened. Nothin' I'd every betray anyone's trust over." He paused, looking at Yang hard. "Right?"

Yang sensed the stern yet sincerity in his voice and sighed, nearly in relief and smiled, "Nope. Everything's fine."

Now everyone at the table breathed a collective a relief, save for Ruby whom in all her purity was left wondering what had just happened. "Um...could someone please tell me what just happened?"

"OW! HEY!"

Ruby saw that William was once again looking peeved at something behind her. Everything turned to see Team CRDL sitting at another table, Cardin currently accosting Velvet by pulling on her left ear and laughing heartlessly.

The sounds of bone cracking were heard as William balled his hands into fists and he stood up from his seat

"Whoa, B.J. where are you~?" Yang cried as he walked around his chair and headed toward Team CRDL's table. Suddenly his intent became clear. "Oh shit!"

Velvet noticed William walking her way, murder clearly evident on his face and no doubt believing she wasn't able, or willing, to defend herself. Desperate to avoid the inevitable bloodbath Velvet suddenly dropped her tray, reached up to Cardin's hand, dug her fingers into his hand and twisted it hard enough for the 1st Year to shriek in pain and let go of her.

"AH! FAUNUS _BITCH_!" Cardin exclaimed as he nursed his twisted wrist. He lunged right back at her "I'LL~" And felt a strong, calloused hand grab him by his left ear. "Hey, wha~?"

William was impassive when he asked, "Care to make time _now_?"

Not waiting for an answer William twisted his ear, causing Cardin to scream out comically in his pitched voice, sending trays and foodstuffs flying everywhere when he began to struggle. Twisting his ear harder Cardin found himself on his knees, pawing desperately at William's hand. "Fuck!" Russell exclaimed as he went for his daggers, stopping when William grabbed a knife off table and held it in reverse grip.

"...come on," William said, daring Russell to keep holding onto his daggers. He looked miffed when Russell suddenly dropped them and put his hands up.

"H-hey, c'mon take it easy Blazkowicz...we we're just fooling around," Russell stuttered with an awkward smiled on his face. William turned to Velvet to see her still rubbing her aching ear, moving him to twist Cardin ear even further, tears of pain forming in his ear.

"..." William turned back to his table and at the people he had been sitting with, looking disappointed at each of them, like he had to be the one to step up. Silence was his answer. That and shame plastered on Team RWBY and JNPR's faces, Blake staring down at the table unable to look at William and Weiss, while trying to appear indifferent, couldn't look at him either. The Slayer tightened his grip on Cardin's ear as he was met with silence save for Cardin's cries of pain and struggling against his arm.

"OW! L-LEGGO! YOU'RE GONNA TEAR MY EAR _**OFF**_!" Cardin screamed. He gritted his teeth when he felt the muscle in his ear were beginning to tear. "OW-ARGHH-OWWW!"

"Blazkowicz!" Velvet exclaimed. She thought her hair stood on end as he turned his annoyed gaze on her. "I-I think he's had enough."

"..." William snorted in disgust and released him, causing him stagger forward and fall over onto his back, reaching up to his head to nurse his reddened ear.

"OW...W-WHA...? This was none any of your business, freak!" Cardin angrily exclaimed. Panic gripped him and he immediately regretted his word when William put his foot down on his leg and pinned it to the floor, hard. "WAIT, DON'T...ARGHHH!"

"BLAZKOWICZ!" gasps went all round when they saw Glynda storm into the dining hall, riding crop in hand, furious that William was direction his aggression upon the students. "Explain yourself...now!"

Cardin was close to hyperventilating as William removed is chest, "Ms. Goodwitch, he~"

"He was defending me," Velvet cried before any of CRDL could speak up.

Sky shook his head, "Uh...we were just~"

"I don't like bullies," William replied, he frowned. "Or people who jus' let em' do it."

Glynda felt like that was directed at her as much as everyone else in the hall. And she realized there was no way she could discipline William for this, not because she was incapable of doing so but it also it would send the wrong message that standing up for someone, even if it meant using violence, wasn't something Beacon tolerated.

"Cardin Winchester," Glynda addressed the still downed bully. "Do you have a problem with Blazkowicz?"

Cardin glowered, "I sure do, ma'am."

"Then I suggest you, your team and him work out your differences...in the _arena_."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Yeah, the Doom Slayer's idea of 'training' is to see how long Teams RWBY and JNPR can last against him. ^_^ Honestly, I was unsure about how to go about it, and frankly I wanted the scenes to be brief so we can get back to the Grimm/Demon slaughter, right after Team CRDL's inevitable curb-stomping (spoiler warning)._

 _I've been watching a lot of vids on YouTube complaining about all the problems that show has – continuity errors, glaring character flaws, limited amount of fight scenes after Season 3, Blake (honestly, her personality, her mental reasoning, and the way she treats Sun in Season 4 pissed me off...William would rip her hands off if she tried to lay a hand on him) and I'm understandably taking them all into account as I write this fic._

 _Also, there is the so-called 'villain problem' that RWBY apparently has...and well it kind of does, though I understand there's only so much you can do with a runtime that's usually 15 minutes an episode, especially if you've got an entire rogues gallery to use. And that might have inspired the beginning of this chapter – right off the bat we get a clue into what motivates Cinder._

 _I doubt we've seen the last of her in canon. But I_ _ **seriously**_ _doubt Rooster Teeth will get around to giving her an actual backstory and motivation for doing the things she does, so it was left to me to fill the void. And it's just as every bit as evil and grotesque as you can imagine._

 _Guest_ _mentioned God of War. That's what I was playing while writing this chapter. Best game to come out in years I reckon. Single-player games are dying, my ass. ;P_

 _Big shoutout to my new beta **tuckerman120**. :D_

 _...did anyone spot the Doom comic reference? BTW it wasn't 'Rip and tear' it was_ _another_ _line._

 _...  
_...

...

 _ **DOOM ETERNAL!**_

 _Hayden fucked up somehow and now it's Hell on Earth. Pain Elementals, Archviles, Arachnotrons, Doomguy's wearing what looks like the classic suit...and_ _ **GODDAMN TENTACLE DEMONS?!**_

 _And Team RWBY_ _will_ _be visiting earth sometime in this fic's future... probably after a major time skip or whatever I've got planned. And I've got A LOT planned. ^_^_


	14. Demon Seed II: Is Finally Boarding

**v.1 Beta: Sir Attlich**

* * *

 **(Blazkowicz Compound, Argent City)  
(Empyrean, Argent D'Nur)**

 **(Several Millenia ago…)**

William woke up in his bed to find his Father sitting on a wooden chair beside him. His Father's eyes were closed and his head bowed in a silent prayer, something he had never seen his Father ever do.

Father wasn't in his armor, but was instead wearing a shirt and pants. His blonde hair and grizzled face was a welcoming sight, and someone would've doubt that it belonged to the same faceless killer who had beaten one of the men that hurt him and his brother to a literal pulp.

"Dad?"

Father raised his head, his eyes widening to see his eldest son awake.

"B.J.!" Father exclaimed. "You're...!" He sighed and lowered his tone. "You're safe now, kiddo. I got you and your brother back." William winced when he felt his face hurt, and raised his hand to feel the bandage wrapped around his head which covered his nose. Father calmly stopped him, and gently smiled:

"Careful, you don't wanna mess with that. Doctor said it's going to take a while for what's underneath it to heal. So no touchy, OK?"

So, it hadn't been one long nightmare after all. Memories of their kidnapping caused him to burst into tears, which caused Father to immediately wrap his arms around him, and letting his son cry into his shoulder, gently shushing him and telling:

"Hey, everything is OK now. You're safe with me and your mom, don't you worry."

Father then sighed with relief and added: "I'm...just glad my boys are back home."

"H-Hunter?" William hiccupped. "Mommy? W-Where are...?"

"He's in his room with your mom." Father reassured him as William pulled away and sat on his bed. "He's...resting. But he'll be fine. He's..." Father sniffed and hung his head, coming close to tears himself. "I...I'm so sorry."

"..." William looked at him, confusion written on his face.

Father sighed again, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Your mom and I have been talking. We can't stay here, not while..." he balled his right hand into his fist. " _He's_ around."

William's eyes widened, "No..."

Father nodded his head sadly, "Yeah. We're moving out to the country. To Elysium."

"All my friends," William was tearing up again. " _Perenna._ "

"I know," Father nodded. "I-"

 _ **MESQUITE, TEXAS**_  
 _ **\- WOLFENSTEIN II OST, MICK GORDON**_

 _ **(3:57-)**_

They heard someone pounding at the front door, which causing William's to freeze up and suddenly shake in fear. He already knew who it was. Father was alarmed to see his son suddenly look like this, right before his face hardened and put his hands on his child's shoulder.

"Daddy..."

"You stay right here, understand?" Father told him firmly. William nodded, prompting Father to lean forward, grasp the back of his head gently and kiss him on the forehead. "Good boy."

Father got up and calmly walked over to the door to find his wife and William's mother waiting for him.

"Love," Mother grabbed his hands tightly and squeezed, "Let me handle him-"

" **We** will handle him." Father said. He glanced at William before closing his door. "He has officially run out of chances."

The boy heard his parents walk down the hallway and down the staircase toward the foyer, followed by the sounds of an automated door opening. William ducked under the covers when he heard his Grandfather's voice.

"Blazkowicz! What have you done you-AH!" Grandfather was cut off with what sounded like a hand slapping him across the face.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, FATHER?!" Mother screamed. "DO YOU HATE MY MAN SO MUCH THAT YOU WOULD HURT MY CHILDREN JUST TO SPITE ME?!"

"HOW DARE YOU STRIKE YOUR OWN FATHER?!"

"Hey, stay back." Father calmly said, sounding like stepped in between Grandfather and Mother. "You got balls marching in here after what you just did, I'll give you that." Father sounded like he was barely able to keep his rage in check. "What I did, I got my boys back."

"...where are they, Blazkowicz? The Silvered Citadel awaits them!" Grandfather sounded equally furious. "You know how things work on Argent D'Nur."

"Sure. Right before Cassie reassured me that they're exempt," Father replied. "A little reward for killing the Icon of Sin."

"You will refer to her as **'Imperatrix'** and your _'reward'_ was a place among us. This house, my daughter!" Grandfather exclaimed. "And Cassiopeia has no authority over the Night Sentinels!"

"Then why have they not come for William and Hunter then, father?" Mother spat. "You never accepted my husband. You never accepted the fact a Terran slew the Lord of Hell."

"...you...!"

"And you never accepted your brother's daughter being crowned Imperatrix instead of me. Which I never wished to be in the first place."

Grandfather continued to sound angry, "Your mother never spoke to me that way...!"

"Until you drove her away."

"WHY, YOU INSOLENT CHILD!" Grandfather shouted. Struggling and fabric been gripped tightly were heard. "The least you could do was give me a grandchild that would grow up to become the next Praetor at least! Not spoiled little brats that keep company with commoners and beastkin! What good are they to me now that your _Terran_ insists on raising them like Terran children?!"

"You mean safe, nurtured, loved?" Mother cried.

"Weaknesses unbefitting of Night Sentinels!"

"And this _Terran_ has a name ,you know." Father stated.

Grandfather sounded so smug and assured of himself, "They all will forget it, like you have never existed... a fate fitting of my pathetic daughter too."

"Shouldn't have said that, you evil prick!" he heard Father suddenly, and angrily, shout above the sounds of struggling. "You're getting the fuck off my property right now!"

"I'm not leaving without my gran-UH...GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF ME YOU IGNORANT TERRAN-GAAAHHHH!" Grandfather was heard to cry out in pain before being shoved against a surface. "AELIA, TELL THIS BEAST TO TAKE HIS HANDS OFF OF ME **NOW**!"

"You don't get to tell her what to do anymore," Father hissed loudly. "It doesn't work that way, old man."

"AELIA, DO WHAT YOUR FATHER SAYS!"

"...no," Mother quietly, but defiantly, replied. "You won't hurt me, nor my husband or our children anymore! The Wraiths will judge you for this in the hereafter."

"...you ungrateful Terran's whore! I can't be judged; the Imperatrix is my niece I~AHH!"

"You felt that? That was the sound of me popping your shoulder out of it's socket," Father now sounded particularly sinister. "You don't get to call my wife a whore, and you don't have claim to our children 'cause their eyes are a certain goddamn color! And you don't get a say on how we choose to raise em'."

"Husband?" Mother sounded, as if she was pleading.

"Go get the kids, Aelia," Father said. "We're leaving now."

"AELIA, DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! I COMMAND YOU-ARGHHH!"

"That was your other shoulder. Care for more?"

"YOU... WON'T LIVE... TO SEE ANOTHER DAY, **TERRAN**...ARGHHH!" William gritted his teeth and squeezed himself tighter into a ball underneath the blankets as Grandfather shrieked in agony. "ARG...NO, STOP...GAAAAH...NO...HELP ME, SOMEONE HELP...ARGHHHH!"

"Get the fuck back here!"

"N-NO, FORGIVE ME I~" William heard the table in the middle of the living room collapsed underneath Grandfather's weight as Father slammed him down against it. "PLEASE, NO...ARGHH!" The sounds of punches being rained on him were heard as Grandfather continuing to shriek in agony before devolving into pathetic whimpering.

The door into his room opened and he heard his Mother, "William?" He felt the sheets pulled back and a gentle hand on his shoulder. He rolled over to see his Mother's tearful silver eyes.

"Mommy?"

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed II:**  
 **…Is Finally Boarding**

 _"May They who would carry the Seraphim's Holy Light return to us."  
_ _ **\- The 131st Imperator of Argent D'Nur  
**_ _ **Lamenting the loss of the first generation of Silver-Eyed Warriors**_

(RWBY)

 **(Amphitheater, Beacon Academy)**

 **(Present Day)**

Of all the buildings in Beacon Academy, the Amphitheatre ,the center of Hell's assault on Vale, was given the highest priority to restore in time for classes to begin. All the blood has been scrubbed out, the viscera picked up and the structure rebuilt in time for the bleachers to be packed by students of all years when it was announced that the notorious Grimm Marine/Armored Huntsman himself would be squaring off against the 1st Year Team CRDL.

There were already murmurs from those that hadn't seen Blazkowicz's confrontation with Cardin Winchester that this fight would merely be a training match between the one supposedly Atlesian-born Marine and a team of newbies, while everyone else either concluded it was Blazkowicz defending Velvet Scarlatina's honor or that he was just some bleeding heart standing up for a Faunus girl.

Velvet felt no less guilty as she sat at the back of the bleachers, on opposite side of her team. She also felt ridiculous for letting a team of freshmen to pick on her and practically waiting for Blazkowicz to come and save her when she should have fought her way out of Winchester's grasp a lot sooner. So much for being called a _'badass'_. She was also frustrated that her team wasn't there at the time.

"So where were you guys while I was getting my ear pulled off?" Velvet angrily rounded on Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi, each of them caught off guard as the rabbit Faunus raised her voice.

"Whoa whoa - chill, girl." Coco raised her hands. "I thought we agreed to go in their together in case there were demons waiting for us in there."

There were demons, alright. _'And I had to be saved by one of them.'_ , Velvet's thoughts were embittered.

"There's no way Professor Goodwitch was serious when she told them to fight each other in the arena."

"If you're worried about Blazkowicz, you need not be." Yatsuhashi said. "So far he proved that he has more combat experience than possibly everyone at Beacon."

"..." Fox looked like he was mulling on the idea that Blazkowicz was the most experienced fighter in Beacon, possibly more so than the staff, including Professor Ozpin.

"If anything, we should be more worried about Winchester and his merry band of dumbasses," Coco said. She looked down at the assembly area down below where Ozpin and Glynda stood before the raised, obviously discussing how much will be left of Team CRDL once Blakzowicz was done with them. Everyone could see that Ozpin had proven to be a fast healer, no longer requiring the sling for his arm but still had faint traces of bruising on his face and was still resting his weight on his cane. "..." And she had noticed that Blazkowicz also had light, slowly healing bruises on his face as well. She raised her eyebrows, 'No way. Did they actually throw down? And we didn't even get to see it?'

Glynda glanced wearily up at the bleacher when she noticed a few of the student's attention were drawn to Ozpin and his still healing injuries.

"The students are beginning to suspect about your little spat with Blakzowicz."

The headmaster disregarded what she said as he took a sip from his mug. "And you had no reservations about setting him upon Team CRDL. 1st years, no less."

"I...I didn't know what else to do." Glynda gripped her sleeve, looked down at the floor and bit her lip. "I couldn't discipline Blazkowicz since he's technically not at student. There is no way he would allow himself to be told what he can and cannot do and it would probably would have ended in more violence. And..." She frowned, "He implied we turned a blind eye towards bullying as if this place were a high school-"

"So, you want him to _'discipline'_ Team CRDL for you?"

"Between the Grimm and the demons, we have enough problems without having to deal with students abusing each other." Glynda couldn't look Ozpin in the eye. "An example needs to be made."

That, and she couldn't admit she was more than a little afraid of invoking the wrath of the Doom Slayer. After she witnessed firsthand his modus operandi against both Grimm and demons - there was no way that those Slayer's Testaments that she had been reading in her private time could be called out as just simple exaggerations.

(RWBY)

 **(Blazkowicz's Room)**

Taking his chainsaw apart William swapped out the vial of Fire Dust for Lightning Dust before reassembling it. He revved up the chainsaw. His smile was almost instinctive as the spinning blade became wreathed in yellow lightning, almost giving William an arc eye before disappearing when he disengaged and put the close combat weapon on one of the beds on the right side of the room. He stepped over to his desk where the armor pieces of his Praetor suit waited for him.

"..." he paused when he was mid-reach of his chest-plate.

 **++Winchester had stated you are only as efficient in combat as you are because of the Praetor suit,++** VEGA declared. **++You have intent to answer his challenge?++**

"..." William brought down a Titan where, after spending at least a thousand year of combat in Hell, the only pieces of Templar armor that had been left on his body were the faulds. Afterwards he acquired the Praetor suit -an amalgamation of human technology Hell had stolen from the many realms they had invaded combined with Hell-forged steel, given to him by...It.

The _Wretch_.

For the first time ever, William wondered what became of _It_ after the Praetor suit was given to him. William frowned, and reached for the white tape on the desk where he proceeded to wrap it around his wrists and knuckles. Glancing at the reflection in the mirror he saw himself still dressed in a black T-shirt, pants and sandals. He tucked his pistol behind his pants and hefted his chainsaw over his shoulder before he reached for his door.

And Blake just happened to be waiting out for him in the hallway.

"Blazkowicz."

"Belladonna?"

"You really do understand what the Faunus have to deal with?" she hopefully asked. William turned to the left, then to the right, confirming that it had just been Blake waiting for him. She frowned when she flatly confirmed: "It's just me. Ruby, Blake and Yang are already at the amphitheater."

William blinked. She was seriously doing this now? Fine.

"Deal with? Like dealin' with their own kind jus' sittin' back an' doin' nothin'?"

Blake was left gaping by William's answer before being rendered deflated. "That's not fair, Blazkowicz."

William narrowed his eyes, "To who?"

 _'To 'whom' you mean.'_ Blake mentally corrected before realizing he was putting her on the spot once again. Was it unfair to her or Velvet? She became indignant, "Look, people are already beginning to say you're out to redeem the human race for all the injustices the Faunus have gone through all because you stood up for Velvet and I...I..." she calmed down and sighed. "But you've killed Faunus and I just want to know where you stand, that's all."

"..." William closed the door behind him and walked right past her, refusing to answer her question.

"I...I'm scared of being outed, that's why I didn't help Velvet," Blake said, not facing him out of shame. "I can't speak for everyone else that just sat by and did nothing but...but I'm not as brave as you and..." she looked down at the ground. "You actually gave a damn about a Faunus and...I don't know how to deal with that." She couldn't tell if William had stopped to hear her out of if he had continued on his way. "I can't tell if you have an ulterior motive toward helping Velvet or...though you killed White Fang...if you're really a good person."

"..." William had stopped to listen to her, and was as unflappable as ever when he replied, "That's your problem."

Blake was speechless as she watched William exit the hall on his way towards the amphitheater. He had refused to coddle her, to see her as any different than a human and kept on her treating her with the same amount of contempt he had for everybody else around him. She didn't know how to feel about it – to either be glad he wasn't treating her any different because of what she hid behind the bow on her head... or angry that he wasn't seeing the injustices the Faunus were going through from her point of view.

 _'Wait - why wasn't he wearing his suit?'_

(RWBY)

 **(Locker Room)**

"Ah...godsdamn," Cardin winced as he stared in the mirror and felt his ear, which was still stinging with redness from nearly having it twisted off of his head by Blazkowicz, He mumbled, "That Faunus-loving~"

Tightening the fasteners on his armor Sky called out from the bench he was sitting on, "Yo Cardin, how's the ear?"

"How do you think?" Cardin snapped. "Bastard nearly tore it off!" He turned around to face his team, leaned against the basin and snarled. "Right. The plan. One more time..."

"We surround the guy and just wail on to him 'till he stops moving." Dove said as he loaded Dust bullets into the revolver mechanism of his sword. "I hang back and provide ranged support in case he tries to keep his distance."

"And if he gets seriously injured in the process we'll just say it was an accident." Russell said, slamming his locker door. "No way that armor of his is impenetrable." He grinned as he spun the daggers in his hands, "Heh, im _penetrable_..."

"Yeah, how much you wanna bet Blazkowicz is screwing at least one of the chicks from Team RWBY?" Sky wondered out loud. "I mean, if I had to spend my time around girls as hot as them I wouldn't be wastin' my time teaching them things." He suddenly smiled, "Unless it's different kinds of things..."

Russel made a disgusted face. "What, including the red-head? Dude she's, like, _twelve_ or something."

"..." Dove frowned and gripped the handle of his sword. "Now I feel like kicking the guy's ass even harder."

Cardin smirked as Russell and Sky looked suddenly disgusted with themselves for broaching about subject. Now his team was all riled up and ready to go - just like the crew he used to run with back at his old Combat School. He had fought his way to the top over the beaten, broken, semi-conscious bodies of all the weaklings that stood between him and becoming the best graduate to be accepted into Beacon Academy. Now, once Blazkowicz was taken cared off all the bullshit about him being the most dangerous man in Vale gets put to rest and Cardin's reputation in Beacon would be secured.

"Let's go." Cardin pointed toward the exit. "Let's give the rest of those losers in Beacon a show they'll never, _ever_ forget."

Russell smirked, "And beat down Blazkowicz hard enough 'till he's pissing blood?"

"Heh, that too."

(RWBY)

 **(Amphitheater)**

Ruby was nervously tapping her fingers on her knees.

Her team was sitting at the bleachers, except Blake who disappeared shortly after the incident in the dining hall. She glimpsed over at Velvet sitting with her team, before turning and closing her eyes as she felt shame well up inside her. How could she become a Huntress and claim to protect people if she couldn't be bothered to stand up for someone who was being bullied? William showed no hesitation, and here they were - waiting for him to spar against Team CRDL.

"You alright, sis?" Yang was sitting behind her and patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just..." Ruby sighed. "We should've done something. Anything."

Yang nodded, "Next time we won't sit by and do nothing."

"Just so Blazkowicz doesn't end up getting into another confrontation with Professor Goodwitch and walking away looking ready to burn the whole academy down." Weiss stated as she crossed her arms with a frown.

"Well he probably would if it were full of demons." Yang chuckled, earning her plenty of looks of derision. "I'm just saying."

"Blazkowicz is on his way..." Yang stifled a shriek when Blake suddenly appeared and announced her presence. She sat down in an empty spot beside Yang, startling everyone around Team RWBY.

JNPR was sitting up front closer to the arena, looking back to see what the commotion was all about.

"..." Nora looked uncharacteristically down in the dumps. "We're a bunch of assholes, aren't we?"

"That's how I feel at the moment," Jaune replied. "You guys?"

"Never again," Pyrrha looked ahead at the arena, waiting for William to show up. She clenched her left fist hard and scrunched her face in self-disgust "I won't stand by and do nothing when somebody needs our help."

Jaune nodded, "Me too."

The whole amphitheater went silent when they heard the sound of footsteps dragging along something heavy behind itself. Stepping into the assembly area was William lugging his chainsaw behind him, not outfitted in his Praetor suit. Noticing all eyes were on him William paused a moment before hefting his chainsaw up so that it was resting across his shoulder.

 _'Don't tell me he actually took what Cardin said as a challenge?'_ Jaune thought, alarmed.

Coco blinked, "Is he...bored of life or something?"

"Blazkowicz..." Velvet whispered worriedly.

Ruby visibly panicked at the sight of him, "This is crazy! Without an Aura that suit is the only thing that's keeping him from going down in one hit! He's going to get himself killed!"

Yang studied the Doom Slayer carefully, seeing the radiating confidence in his posture and in the way he carried his chainsaw off his shoulder as he approached Ozpin and Glynda. She smiled at that and said: "I don't think so. He'd walk out here in nothing but his underwear and I'd still believe can wipe the floor with those fuc-err, jerks."

"Yeah, at this point we should be more worried about Cardin and his team." Blake said. She then frowned, "Not that I am, mind you." She bitterly thought, _'People like Cardin need to be taught a lesson.'_

Weiss snorted, "That's called hubris Blake, Yang. Blazkowicz is full of it and I think it's all about to catch up with him." Right after saying that she shot William a rather worried look, complete with lip biting. "Like I care about the reckless idiot in the first place."

"..." Ruby blinked. "No one said anything." She pointed at William as she stepped up onto the stage and turned to face the entryway. "Hey look..."

Team CRDL stepped into the amphitheater to find William waiting for them on stage... and was not wearing his Praetor suit. Cardin was at first taken back by how intimidating the Doom Slayer appeared, as he looked like he had been standing there for an indefinite amount of time with his chainsaw. His face twisted into a smirk when he realized Blazkowicz had bought his earlier insult about being nothing with his Praetor suit. This was just too perfect.

Cardin scoffed, "Heh, stupid asshole..."

Russell chuckled nastily, "You said it." Walking across the assembly area towards professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, they saw the amount of people that had packed onto the bleachers. "Looks like the third of everyone at Beacon has turned out to see us kick this guy's ass."

"Let's not disappoint them." Cardin replied. They came to a halt before Professor Goodwitch, "We're ready to fight, ma'am."

Glynda nodded, "Then step up onto the stage."

Soon William and Team CRDL were facing one another at opposite ends of the stage. Cardin, Russell, Sky and Dove all looking eager with weapons held tightly in their hands. William was impassive, both hands on his chainsaw's handle with the blade pointed down at the ground. Holographic Aura indicators floated above both ends of the stage, one displaying the meters for Team CRDL, while an ERROR message flashed red across William's frowning portrait.

The murmuring was instantaneously, "What? He doesn't have an Aura?"

"Impossible! The other day I saw him smash his way through, like, a dozen of those monsters!"

"No Aura? Does that mean he doesn't have a Semblance either?"

 _'Wait, this is news to them?'_ Cardin thought, annoyed by this audible amount of unnecessary exposition. _'Dumbasses.'_

"Everyone - settle down, please." Ozpin implored everyone sitting in the bleachers. "Normally we would only be hosting spars once the Academy is officially in session, but an exception has been made as for the recent events - namely, the dining hall incident. Both parties have agreed that this would be the quickest way to resolve it. All of you present here will consider this your _first_ lesson." He paused, shifting his tone to something more serious. "A lesson in _resolution_."

"..." William narrowed his eyes at CRDL. Dove swallowed a bit and took a subconscious step backwards.

"I trust all of you understand the basics of Aura, and for those who don't there will be a refresher course at a later date. For now, due to Blazkowicz's handicap the rules will be as follows," Glynda turned to the stage, trying hard to keep William out of eyeshot lest she continue to quietly grind her teeth in frustration. "The match ends when either party is unable to fight any longer. A ring out will result in instant disqualification. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Team CRDL chorused with straight postures and hands behind their backs.

"...yeah," William kept it simple.

"Very well."

"GOOOOOOOO WILLIAM!"

"KICK SOME ASS, B.J.!"

"BREAK THEIR LEGS, BLAZKO! BREAK EM' REAAALLLLL GOOD!"

"Um...GOOOO...Blazkowicz...?"

Ruby, Yang, Nora and Velvet suddenly cheered him on, the rabbit Faunus sounding very unsure of herself, and Ruby had somehow procured herself a red flag that had the Mark of the Doom Slayer on it and was waving it enthusiastically. William grunted as he stifled a chuckle from the absurdity of it, before realizing that Glynda was glaring at him.

"B.J?" Cardin laughed. "That a nickname or something?"

Russell smirked, "Those 1st Years been giving you any good ones lately? Reckon they'll put out that easy for us too, eh?" He didn't mean what he said, but anything to get a reaction of Blazkowicz.

"..." William, however, said nothing.

The lights dimmed so that the bleachers and the assembly area were shrouded in darkness save for the stage, giving them the illusion that they were the only ones in the amphitheater, the tension building to a crescendo. That is until...

"I insist none of you harm one another too seriously." Glynda declared, noting Team CRDL's blatant sexual language and reminding herself to take them to detention for it later. "BEGIN!"

William powered his chainsaw, the rotary blade echoing around the silent amphitheater as he pointed it toward the members of Team CRDL. Cardin cringed a bit, seeing how effortlessly he was able to handle such a behemoth of a bladed weapon.

Nevertheless, he flashed his mace at William and grinned, his teammates slowly moving to surround William, their blades trained on him as the Doom Slayer continued to stand there in his stance. Each CRDL member was quietly taunting him as they waited for him to make the first move.

"I call this baby _'The Great Communicator'_!" Cardin indicated his mace as he taunted William. "And allow me to communicate my desire to shove it up your ass-"

His bragging was cut short when William suddenly lodged his chainsaw down, the blade embedding itself into the stage floor as William made a beeline towards Cardin and grabbing the boy by the scruff of the shirt he wore under his armor. He delivered a headbutt that was hard enough to bypass Cardin's Aura and break his nose. Blood spurted from Cardin's face as his head lolled back in a daze before William shoved him at Russell...

"WHAT THE-?!"

...the mohawk's daggers slipped out of his hands as his partner smacked into him, distracting him long enough for William to follow with a hook kick that connected with both Cardin and Russel's head, knocking them down close to the edge of the stage. Sky bellowed and swung his halberd, aiming for his chest. William quickly turned on his side and threw an elbow strike that connected with the steel shaft of Sky's halberd before the blade could even William's skin, wrecking it's firing pin and throwing Sky off-balance. This left him open long enough for William to grab him and put a knee in the gut, causing him to drop his halberd. William then proceeded to use him as a human shield...

"AH...SHIT~!"

...just in time as Dove pulled the trigger of his gun-sword, hitting Sky multiple times in the chest and stomach before realizing what he had done. Sky's Aura luckily absorbed the shots, but it didn't make his teammate feel any better.

William balled his fist tightly before striking Sky multiple times in the back, causing the boy to gasp out in pain. William shoved him aside and charged at Dove. Everyone thought they saw his eyes open for a brief, harrowing second before the Slayer batted his sword aside when he tried to swing at him. He struck him in the throat with his palm before wrapping his arms around him and performing a suplex - Dove landed on his head and he bounced off the stage floor where he landed on his back.

And all that happened in the span of six seconds. The jaws dropped at the fact that someone without Aura or adequate protection managed to take down four heavily armed, skilled Huntsmen-In-Training with his _bare hands_. Everyone looked up to see that CRDL's Aura meters were still in the green, and yet they were laid out all over the stage, struggling to get back up.

Coco blinked, stupefied, "Holy..."

"Shit." Velvet finished, equally shocked.

"Did you see that?!" Ruby exclaimed. "I knew he was fast but-!"

"I barely caught that," Jaune muttered.

"He took them down as if they...never went to Combat School." Pyrrha was visibly trembling when she recalled their sparring sessions out in the field. To think he was stronger than what he earlier demonstrated - it was scaring her.

"And he was still holding back!" Yang sounded outraged, voicing what Pyrrha had been thinking.

"..." Blake realized she was shivering a little bit as well. _'Adam and Marlowe fought him? And they somehow survived?'_

"I...I don't-" Weiss couldn't find the right words.

For his part Ren appeared contemplative, replaying those six seconds over and over in his head, quietly analyzing William's movements with his mind's eye. "Three."

"Three what?" Nora cried. "REEEENNN...you're know a lot about martial arts, tell us what we just saw!"

"I counted three different fighting styles that Blazkowicz just used. The raised kick, the open-palm strike and the suplex – each from a different martial art." Ren explained. "And he managed to pull them off effortlessly enough."

"Funny, I thought he was just using the one during our spars for the past three days – and I'm pretty sure it's _'Beating-Us-To-A-Pulp'_ technique." Yang stated dryly. "Then again, he probably felt safe enough in his suit to not go all out. But here..."

"He knows he's vulnerable, even if it's against a gang of 1st Year bullies, and it's because he decided to ditch the suit." Ruby finished, still worried for her...friend? "But why?"

Pyrrha watched William grimly as he walked over to his chainsaw, "He's testing himself. Remember when Cardin told him he's only as good as he is when he's in the suit?"

"We all heard. He said he could do with a _'warm-up'_ ," Jaune replied. "Guess this would be a warm-up for him."

Cardin groaned as he pushed himself up. There was ringing in his ear where William had kicked him.

He found himself blowing blood out of his nostrils, realizing that his nose was broken. He visibly paled when he felt it and the blood ended up on his fingers, "Wha...what?! How?!" His Aura was still in the green, and he was bleeding, and it was the first time in his life he was bleeding. It was probably the first time he saw his own blood. Were Blazkowicz's blows hard enough to penetrate Aura?

And his silver eyes weren't the usual dull color, instead they were now bright - just like that Ruby girl's eyes. For a second he wondered if they were actually related before realizing that William was sizing him up, like a predator about to converge upon it's prey, and gripped the handle of his chainsaw, lifting it up out of the ground. William glared at Cardin, as if quietly asked him if wanted to continue.

Glynda felt tempted to stop the fight, fearing for Team CRDL's safety now that Blazkowicz established he's just as dangerous without packing his arsenal or a suit of power armor. Cardin will probably think twice about starting trouble with Blazkowicz around. _'What kind of training did this...boy...go through? What kind of people were behind it?'_ Glynda fidgeted as she held her scroll. _'What kind of people were the D'Nurians?'_

"Lucky shot...COCKSUCKER!" Cardin's bellowing woke Glynda from her thought as he leaped up into the air and brought his mace down toward William's head. The Slayer raised his chainsaw and blocked his strike, looking ahead in time to see Sky thrust his halberd at him, William angled his body so that the polearm skimmed right past his chest, following up by swinging his chainsaw hard enough to send both Cardin and Sky flying.

He reacted fast enough to see one of Russell's daggers flying at him and caught it just in time. He dropped it to the ground, and raised his hands to catch Russell who threw himself at him, who squeezed himself into a ball in midair and slammed into William like a spiked cannonball. William grabbed him by his feet and swung the screaming mohawk towards Dove who raised his gun-sword only to immediately drop it, which was the result of the impact sending them both sliding across the stage floor.

William revved the chainsaw and swung away at Cardin as the team leader picked himself up. Cardin found himself desperately blocking each blow of the oversized chainsaw, sparks flying as the teeth of the chainsaws grinded against his mace before he shoved Cardin away. William quickly drew his pistol from his pants with his right hand and shot Sky in the shoulder when he tried to advance on him again, his Aura absorbing the shot but left him open to kick him upside the head and knock him back down. William glimpsed up to see Russell bearing down him from above before pushing off the floor with his left foot and getting some distance between himself and Russell's blades as they went through the stage floor. Russell grinded his teeth as he tried to pull his daggers out of the stage, releasing them just in time for William's right-hook to hit him square in the jaw and send him flying off the stage and into the blackness beyond it.

Russell's image on the holoscreen was crossed out, signaling his disqualification. William guarded against Sky's multiple thrusts of his halberd, and spotted Dove who attempted to flank him, aiming his gun-sword at William's back. William gritted his teeth and disengaged the chainsaw's blade, both the handle and the foregrip and thrusted it toward Sky, catching Sky behind the neck...

"HEY, WHAT~?!"

...and spinning them both around. William once again used Sky as a human shield as Dove pulled the trigger.

"NO, WAIT-!" Sky shrieked before Dove's bullets tore through his Aura and hit him the shoulder, not penetrating his armor but causing a fair amount of pain. "DOVE, YOU GODSDAMN TEAMKILLER! ARGHH-!"

William wrapped his left arm around Sky's neck, dropped his chainsaw and drew his pistol, holding the trigger down and firing a charged shot aimed at Dove's gun-sword, blasting it right of his hand. The force was powerful enough to twist Dove's wrist hard enough for the bone to snap, leaving him crying out in pain and clutching his hand. His Aura was nearly depleted. The Slayer followed up by kicking Sky in Cardin's direction, causing them to knock heads together, in Sky's case knocking him unconscious and out of the fly, leaving William to charge at Dove. He leaped into the air as he recovered his gun-sword with his free, unbroken hand. He was then unceremoniously punched into a small crater in the middle of the stage, completely knocking him out.

Cardin rubbed his aching head as he stood back up. He blanched as he realized that Blazkowicz had taken out his entire team, leaving him alone to face a red-faced, seething Doom Slayer whose fists wrapped in that stereotypical bandage crap that were covered in blood from both his and Dove's broken noses. Cardin cringed as William turned his way, cracking his knuckle as he converged on him with the chainsaw in handle. Cardin held his mace tightly as he pushed the button built into the handle, the Dust crystal held in place in the center of the mace glowing.

"You asked for it, freak!" Cardin exclaimed. "EAT THIS!"

Cardin stroke the ground, unleashing several destructive fiery blasts that tore up the stage as they hurled toward William. The crowds gasped as the Doom Slayer swung his chainsaw overarm into the ground, also tearing into the stage, sending debris flying all over and negating the firestorm that Cardin had thrown at him.

Cardin screamed in anger as he unleashed another round of explosions at William. The Slayer dodged each blast before jumping and leaping off of a piece of upturned floor, and brought his chainsaw down on Cardin. The freshman gripped his mace with both hands in a guard, but was unprepared for William's raw strength as he was pushed right into the ground, with his head just dangling from over the stage.

Cardin almost voided his bowels when he saw that William's eyes were glowing. His pupils were gone and were absorbed by a silver light that looked like it was trying to burst out of both his eyes. William seemed to realize what was happening to him and relaxed his grip on his chainsaw, prompting Cardin to lift his foot and force William off him, swinging his mace and knocking his chainsaw out of his hand. William dodged another blow, and countered it by a palm strike to Cardin's wrist with, causing him to drop his weapon. Cardin responded by swinging a punch aimed at William's head, which the Slayer caught with his left hand. Cardin grabbed him by the left breast of his T-shirt, but the effort was proved to be fruitless as William stroke him in the chest and tore the hand off of him as Cardin staggered backward, who ripped his shirt in the process, revealing his bare, still-bandaged chest. William gritted his teeth and drove his knee into his gut, knocking the wind and spit out his mouth. His scream of agony sounded breathless as William slammed his right foot into his left leg, breaking it.

"...shouldn't have spoken shit 'bout my name," William muttered angrily, Cardin panicking when he realized he had hit a nerve in the Doom Slayer after all. What, was that Ruby girl his little sister or something? They share the same eyes sure but...

"Asshole..."

As Cardin was left wide open and defenseless, William decided to grab him by his neck and by his crotch. The male portion of the audience winced in collective empathy. The Doom Slayer lifted the freshman up into the air, holding him up long for everyone to comprehend that _William Joseph Blazkowicz III_ , with nothing but the clothes on his back, a giant chainsaw, a plasma handgun and his own fists, dominated an entire team of Semblance-packing, Aura-users without so much as a scratch. William then hurled a shrieking Cardin off the ruined stage. The holo screen announced to almost no one's surprise...

 **WINNER:  
** **WILLIAM JOSEPH BLAZKOWICZ III**

William sighed, wincing as he remembered he was still recovering from his injuries, feeling like he had almost torn his stitches. Noticing Cardin's mace was still lying on the stage he picked it up and studied. _'Great Communicator?'_ William thought. He snorted and dropped it off the stage. _'Dumb name.'_

The lights came back on to reveal Cardin and Russell sprawled on the assembly floor, both of them groaning in pain right before Ozpin and Glynda, Dove and Sky were still lying unconscious on the stage. Ozpin appeared indifferent, even taking another sip of coffee. Glynda, on the other hand, looked like she was coming close to hyperventilating.

She wanted to teach Team CRDL a lesson, sure, but to brutalize them right in front of almost half the surviving student body was a bit too much for her comfort.

"Students," Ozpin said out loud. "It's true, though we do our best - we cannot stop prejudice from happening. But we won't stop anyone from standing up to it." He looked down at Cardin and over at Russell. "Though in future, I prefer that it does not escalate to anything like this."

 _'Why'd you let me lay em' out then in the first place then?'_ William thought. _'Sanctimonious prick.'_ Picking up his chainsaw and hoisting it across his shoulder, William stepped off the balcony and landed on the assembly area floor. He walked towards Ozpin and Glynda, the latter slowly drawing her riding crop. Ozpin waved her down and stepped forward toward him. "What else?" William suddenly asked.

"In the future, you should expect our demonic enemies to be just as ruthless as Blazkowicz." Ozpin added. "Only without even a hint of mercy in them."

"M- _'Mercy'_?"

Cardin tried pushing himself up off the floor, only for his strength to give out as he collapsed on his chest. His leg was broken, his Aura was depleted and tears of pain were pouring down his cheeks. He felt a tooth dislodge in his mouth and threatened to travel down his throat until he coughed it up. Feebly wiping the blood from his shattered nose, he looked up to see William, and seemingly Ozpin, completely unsympathetic to the beating he had just laid on Team CRDL. The team leader felt himself quake in fear of the guy that smacked them around like they were nothing.

 _Less_ than nothing.

"...all cause' of one stupid Faunus..." Cardin spat out, blood in his saliva as he dripped down his chin, managing to push himself up to one knee. Wiping his mouth, he glared hatefully up at the Slayer. "Why you do even care about those dumb anim- ARGH!" William put his foot down on his shattered leg and he fell right back down. "STOP, STOP, STOOOPPP!"

Ozpin decided that enough was enough. "Blazkowicz!" he growled warningly.

The dumb bastard didn't know when to stop. That was fine with William as he repeated what he said back in the dining hall. "I don't like bullies."

"BLAZKOWICZ!" Glynda was outraged that he continued to torment his thoroughly beaten opponent. Would it kill him to just ignore someone whenever they hurl insults his way?

"...what?" William turned to Glynda. "Tellin' me to stop now?"

"..." Glynda gasped lightly at that barb.

"Whoa, burn," Yang muttered.

"..." Ruby swallowed. "Should we...be glad William taught the bullies a lesson or be afraid of how he did it?"

Everybody felt conflicted about the fight they had just watched. Though it had been an impressive spectacle to see someone without an Aura – which was replaced with eons worth of fighting experience – defeat an entire team of armored, armed 1st Year Huntsmen-in-Training, they couldn't decide whether or not to be afraid of Blazkowicz or the curriculum that was to come.

 _'What lesson?'_ Weiss had watched the whole fight unfold with a quiet sense of dread. _'Either you learn to get along or a six-foot four brute from another world or he will break your legs? There's no lesson to be learned from this. Are the Professors so adamant about making sure we don't fall out of line that they encourage us to watch this massacre or are they that afraid of Blazkowicz that they just let him take justice into his own hands?'_

"Where are you going?" Glynda called out to William as he turned to walk out of the Amphitheatre. "You were not excused!"

"..." William ignored her. Feeling personally vexed Glynda gritted her teeth and extended her riding crop and getting a psychic grip on his left arm, forcing him to stop, as if some invisible force had yanked him backward as if he was an unruly child.

All this had proved to be the last straw for Glynda. She was now extremely frustrated that her attempts to use him to discipline Team CRDL hadn't gone exactly as she planned. More so when she was suddenly pulled forward hard enough and she fell to the ground, landing on her elbows as William yanked his arm free of her control, her riding crop skidding across the floor towards William's feet.

"Oh, shit," someone in the audience was heard to murmur. "He didn't just-"

"Glynda," Ozpin got down, his hands reaching for her shoulders. The Slayer glowered down at the two of them. He would've have left the auditorium for good if...

"Y-you...soulless...ass..."

Cardin snarled with an intense look of utter hatred, with tears still rolling down his face, causing William turn around and glare with an equal amount of hate right back at him. Cardin immediately held his tongue and resumed looking like he was seeing a ghost – an angry, musclebound ghost - even as Ozpin stood up and stepped between the Doom Slayer and Cardin. The Slayer shot Cardin one last look of contempt before finally leaving.

Glynda recovered her scroll as she stood back up, immediately scrolling towards the Beacon Emergency App. She had to get Team CRDL into the infirmary ASAP. Cardin was still groaning in pain as he looked up pitifully at Ozpin, hoping to garner some sympathy from him. The Professor however had none for him, though, only a quiet look of disappointment. He had made absolutely clear that if they stayed on their present course of trying to act like high-school bullies then there will no stopping Blazkowicz from setting them straight _again_.

For a moment Cardin had a look that suggested he felt betrayed, right before the pain in his broken leg became too much as he passed out.

"..." Velvet didn't know how she should process this, doubly more so when she noticed her team leader glimpsing at her.

"All of that for you, huh?" Coco pointed out, earning herself a glare from Yatsuhashi. "What?"

(RWBY)

 **(...afterwards...)**

Right after Team CRDL has been carried off to the infirmary, everyone else left the amphitheater, with some looking more shell-shocked than others. None more so than Teams RWBY and JNPR, each of them feeling conflicted on how they should feel about William as they approached the statue of a Huntsman killing a Grimm in the gardens outside the amphitheater.

Ruby sighed, "No."

"No what?" Weiss queried.

"This doesn't change anything," Ruby explained. "That day when the demons attacked, we went through about an hour of what William's been going through his whole life."

"So, there's no judging him for being a violent, sadistic Übermensch, then?" Weiss scoffed. "We just blame the demons?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "Well..."

"Yeah..." Nora replied. "I mean, why are you such a..." Nora silenced herself. "Y'know?"

"..." Weiss frowned and got right in Nora's face. "Yes?"

"Oh, you know?" Nora smiled nervously.

"I know, what?"

"Uhhhh...Ren?"

Ren sighed, "Bossy, elitist, entitled."

Weiss looked alarmed before retorting, "I'm not-"

"Bossy? Elitist? Entitled?"

Everyone froze when they felt William standing behind them, wearing a new shirt. Ruby put on a big smile and greeted the Slayer, "Hey, William! That was a good fight!"

"Yeah!" Yang flashed a wink and a thumbs up. "You really gave those assholes a good whippin'!"

"BAD WORD!" Ruby exclaimed and covered her ears. "BAD WO-"

"Enough."

Ruby cringed, and everyone thought their hearts stopped as William's faceless visage stared right at them.

"You don't 'ave to be afraid of me," William declared. "Jus' don't expect me to live accordin' to your standards." William looked over his shoulder at Team CFVY. "Or do nothin'."

Ruby's eyes widened, gasped and ran right past him towards Velvet, immediately grabbing the rabbit Faunus by the hands and cried: "I'm so, so sorry. We won't let that happen ever again! Promise!"

"Uh...ok?" Velvet smiled awkwardly, looking like she wanted to shrink in on herself as the other members of Team RWBY and JNPR approached her, each looking apologetic, even Weiss, leaving Yang standing alone before William.

"..." Yang did a quiet doubletake between William and Ruby. "You...uh..."

William turned to her. Yang smirked and dimmed her eyes.

"The way you threw Cardin off the stage with your shirt off... Gotta say, you looked pretty hot..."

"...tch."

(RWBY)

 **(Infirmary)**

It was an hour later that Cardin woke up. He found himself lying on a hospital bed with his broken leg in a cast that suspended by wire. Russell, Sky and Dove were also laid up right beside him, each of them covered in gauze with fresh bruises covering their faces and bodies underneath their scrubs.

"Wha...what just happened?" Sky moaned.

"Foreign asshole kicked our asses, that's what!" Russell exclaimed. He winced in pain, "Ow..."

Cardin gritted his teeth as he replayed the fight in his mind. Team CRDL didn't stand a chance against that soulless freak as he smacked them about like they were little kids. For a moment he felt scared when he remembered how his eyes glowed a threatening silver when he had him at his mercy.

"So...are we just gonna lay off the Faunus, those nerds and keep our heads down whenever Blazkowicz is around and hope we don't piss him off from now on?" Dove wondered scornfully. "This sucks..."

"Yeah...NO, fuck THAT!" Cardin exclaimed, silencing his teammates. His shifted to a quieter, determined, sinister tone, "Once we're outta here, we're gonna knuckle down, train our asses off harder than we've ever had, and the next time those demon bastards show their ugly faces - they won't see us coming." He smirked. "Demons, Grimm, the rest of the worm food in Beacon, they won't stand a chance against us."

His teammates were taken back by Cardin's determination. Russell hesitantly inquired, "And Blazkowicz?"

"Oh yeah, him too. We'll see how that soulless motherfucker likes having his legs broken."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Shout out to Sir Attlich for Beta duties, and for proofreading the first six chapters. Cheers, dude._

 _Yeah, I made a big deal of the fact Team RWBY and JNPR sat on their asses while Velvet was being bullied. As someone (like nearly everyone) who has dealt with bullying in his past I couldn't let that slide. And in this fic, it leads to William nearly crippling Team CRDL. Even if he's not actively trying to kill his opponent I imagine he would be an absolute beast during sparring._

 _The titles of this chapter and the last one arelyrics from Clandestine Ways (Krokodil Rot) by Cattle Decapitation. Like I said, listening to Death Metal/Deathgrind/Goregrind is the best way to get into the mood to write some DOOM crossover. XD_

 _And no, light's not going to burst out of William's silver eyes anytime...ever. He is Strength. Ruby is...something else._

 _So, there's a new Doom film coming out, I've seen behind the scenes photos...and I'm giving it a hard pass. ;(_

 _To Guest: I was wondering if someone was going to compare this fic to Berserk. :D Doom 2016 is practically Berserk on Mars, or according to TV Tropes 'Berserk meets Halo.' And I listen to Susumu Hirasawa on occasion when writing, particularly Oh Ashes (Hai Yo) when writing the more epic moments._

 _And yeah, it might seem I'm rehashing a certain flashback from Wolfenstein II. It was to compare/contrast both B.J.'s home lives, and that it wasn't William III's that turned him into a demon killer but it did shape his ideals, and it's part of the original Doomguy's own story arc and how it affects his children. One difference is that unlike Rip Blazkowicz, William III's maternal grandfather underneath his loud, egotistical, praetorian demeanor is really a sniveling coward and the Blazkowicz family have had it up to here with abusive family members and decided to not let him tread on them. As William III had already stated, he doesn't like bullies._

 _Just out of curiosity, has anyone played/heard of DUSK and AMID EVIL, two old school shooters on Steam Early Access being published by New Blood Interactive? I feel like crossing those over with something once they get fully released._


	15. Demon Seed III: Burning Hellblade Impale

_**v.1**_

* * *

 **(Headmaster's Office)  
(Beacon Academy)**

Professor Peach was the exact opposite of many of her colleagues. In contrast to Ozpin's optimism, Glynda's sternness, Peter's rambunctiousness and Bartholomew's intellect, Peach was meek, soft-spoken and very sensitive. More so of the match between Blazkowicz and Team CRDL and him having put all four of them in the infirmary and that was the reason why the 'peach' haired young woman in a dress stood before Ozpin's desk, her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes tracing the floor nervously.

"I...I don't mean to presume how the others see Blazkowicz and his being here, but I'm afraid after today he'll be a distraction for the students once class is officially in session," Peach explained, struggling to look Ozpin in the eye as she spoke. "And, I believe Floral studies is so important to the school's curriculum-"

Of course, she would bring that up. The study of Remnant's flora was her life after all.

"Peach, I don't believe for one second that Blazkowicz will deliberately go out of his way to disrupt your classes," Ozpin gently interrupted her before she could off at a tangent. "If anything, in the event of another attack I believe the students feel safer knowing that he is around."

"...and Team CRDL?" Peach hesitantly asked.

"They _now_ know where their priorities lie. And that's all there is to say on the matter."

"I...I see," Peach said. "If...if your decision is made then-"

"It is," Ozpin nodded. "I'm sorry, Peach. I understand where you are coming from and I admit I myself had some doubts about his presence possibly being a disruptive influence but for the moment we need him here. For our protection, as much as his." He paused and sat back in his seat, "Will there be anything else?"

"N-no sir," Peach mewled a bit. "I'll show myself out."

Watching Professor Peach's back as she turned to leave Ozpin wondered if any of the other lecturers at Beacon felt threatened by Blazkowicz's presence here, especially after demonstrating that – his words – that he 'doesn't like bullies' and proving to be very prejudicial about it. Hell, Ozpin had to admit to himself he couldn't decide if they went too far letting Blazkowicz beat down Team CRDL and forcing them to focus their time and energy solely on becoming better Huntsmen instead of picking on the other students. On that note they should have responded better when the Doom Slayer called the school out on how incompetent they were really in curbing bigotry toward the Faunus.

 _ **++Professor Ozpin? Incoming communique from Atlas Academy,++**_ VEGA's blue spherical avatar appeared above Ozpin's desk. _**++It's General Ironwood.++**_

And VEGA had more or less made itself, _himself_ rather, at home. He had linked himself to the CCTS from Blazkowicz's Praetor suit and estbalished his own network within the tablet's wireless system, allowing him access to every wireless system in Beacon. At first the faculty was alarmed than an unshackled artificial intelligence created by a possibly rival superpower was monitoring all scroll activity and remote communication to and from Beacon for the purposes of espionage; but the AI himself alleviated their concerns, somewhat, when he stated his function was to serve humanity.

Peter came around in an instant when VEGA had reorganized his schedule and rearranged his day-to-day timetable, which afforded him enough free time to go on one of his little 'safaris' outside Vale.

"Thank you, VEGA," Ozpin poured himself another cup of coffee as the holo-communique screen broadcasted on Ozpin's desk, and Ironwood's not-too-pleased, slightly unshaven demeanor. "James."

" _You're allowing the AI to connect calls now, Ozpin?"_

Ozpin smiled, "He's just finding ways to pass the time, General."

" _If Atlas knew_ _it_ _was given free rein to do whatever it wanted in Vale-"_

 _ **++My direct influence is only limited to wireless gadgetry in Vale, General Ironwood,++**_ VEGA said. _**++For internal systems hardware, machinery and hardware I would require-"**_

" _An entire icecap for a cooling system, yes I know!"_ Ironwood interjected hurriedly. _"I've gone over the codex thoroughly. That's the reason I'm calling."_

"Does it concern the Atlas Council?" Ozpin queried.

Ironwood nodded, " _Vale Council has shared the files you sent them."_

"...I see," Ozpin said. He knew it was going to happen eventually, that in the interest of cooperation they would share the information they had with the other Kingdoms, but not this soon especially if they were concerned with not starting a panic. "How did they handle it?

" _Badly_ ," Ironwood replied grimly. _"They're terrified, Ozpin. Of Hell, the UAC and Earth. There are already bills being drafted increasing Atlas' defense budget and there's talk of reintroducing National Service."_

"You mean _conscription,_ " Ozpin said.

" _And they're doubling down on making sure Blazkowicz and VEGA is secured within Atlas' borders."_

Ozpin frowned, "They've going to petition Vale to extradite Blazkowicz? On what grounds?"

" _Assaulting Atlasian military personnel, what else?"_ Ironwood groused. _"I motioned to have the charges dropped but it was overturned, and now they want Blazkowicz interned for study at the Epsilon Labs, where the rest of his arsenal is currently being taken apart."_

"Epsilon?" Ozpin sighed. "Outside Mantle? You're aware the facilities are co-financed by the Schnee Dust Company?" The Headmaster of Beacon narrowed his eyes in contempt, "Does Jacques know?"

" _By now, sure,"_ Ironwood grumbled. _"Last I saw him two days ago he was a in good mood. The bastard's probably salivating at the thought of his company studying alien technology and getting their hands on an ancient superhuman."_ Ironwood's tone took a turn for the grim. _"And you remember whom the current director of the Epsilon Science Team is?"_

"..." Ozpin dipped his head. "All too well." Ozpin furrowed his brow, "And how will the Council of Atlas threaten Vale into handing over Blazkowicz?"

" _By withdrawing support for the Vytal Festival,"_ Ironwood replied, which caused Ozpin to grimace. _"I was right when I said the existence of Earth, the UAC and their superior technology would send the council into a panic. Hell, and the destruction of Argent D'Nur, they're downright terrified and they're scrambling for every advantage they can get their hands on. The technology in Blazkowicz's suit and the AI, included."_

"..." Ozpin looked contemplative. "We planned to only let the councils know that there would be another threat beside the Grimm that we have to deal, not that it would be Hell itself. But now that they had launched their first strike, and on the Huntsman Academies no less-"

" _Just as I said Ozpin, there was no way we were ever going to keep this in the shadows. And there's no way to keep the public from knowing it's not just the Grimm we have to be afraid of now,"_ Ironwood pointed out. _"What's our next move?"_

"To know our enemy, and not just by meticulously going over the files on each monstrosity they field or the atrocities they've committed over eons," Ozpin explained. "And the first place we need to start from is _where_ Blazkowicz came into this world."

Ironwood shook his head, _"Ozpin, we don't know what's behind that door."_

"No. But William does. And we're going to take him there."

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed III:  
Burning Hellblade Impalement**

" _I believe in honesty, especially now, in what will be your final moments in this world. All the rumors, the human sacrifices, the Hell portal, the demons… it's all true. My sisters and brothers, be thankful. You will be the first. You will have a seat alongside them as I will in what will become the new world they create for us. Starting now..."  
_ _ **\- Olivia Pierce, Heresiarch of the Mars Demon Cult  
DECEASED**_

(RWBY)

 **(Training Field #5)**

 **(Four Days Later...)  
(The day before classes begin)**

 **(Late afternoon...)**

"Oh no...NONONONO!" Jaune repeated in a panic as if denying the fact that William had just smacked his sword of his hand would make it so, which left him with his shield which he used to block an oncoming hail of punches, the vibrations from each steel-fisted clang reverberating right through Jaune. William grabbed each side of the shield and tore it out of Jaune's hand, right before he was sent flying as William smacked him across the face with it and raised it to block Nora bringing Magnhild down as she descended from the air, the strength behind her blow bringing him down on one knee.

Out the corner of his eyes he saw Pyrrha ready to thrust Miló at him. William tossed the shield her way, the steel scraping against Nora's hammer and William ducking his head out of the way as it's business end struck the grass and Pyrrha slid underneath Jaune's shield, the steel projectile nearly grazing her nose. Nora was left wide open for William to punch her in the side of her head and also send her flying at Pyrrha, the Champion of Mistral being forcing to vault over her teammate and raising her shield to guard against William throwing a kick at her that still managed to knock her back, giving him space to take on Ren who went at him with the blades on StormFlower, William guarding against each blow with his wrists and countering with a palm strike to the chest which he followed up with a jumping knee strike that sent Ren backflipping and landing on his front on the grass.

"REN!" Nora exclaimed. Staring at William with enough murder in her eyes to bemuse the Doom Slayer as she swung Magnhild. William countered by throwing a right steel hook, the resulting impact and force pushing neither of them back, but generated enough wind to ripple the grass around them. Nora thought he heard William hiss lightly in pain before he charged her, knocking her hammer out of her hands and catching it, swinging it Pyrrha as she tried to launch another attack. Pyrrha screamed as she was sent flying, her Aura giving out as she landed on the grass, Miló and Akoúo̱ rolling out of her hands.

And finally, William finished Nora off by grabbing her shoulder and headbutting her; Nora letting a faint 'oof' as she tumbled onto the grass, leaving William still standing and surrounded by the downed forms that comprised of Team JNPR.

Jaune groaned as he lifted his head off the grass and raised his hand, "Time..."

Having watched the whole fight from her spot on a large rock, Ruby checked her scroll and stopped the timer. Her face lit up with happiness. "One minute and forty-seven SECONDS!" she cried out, turning her scroll for them to see. "A NEW RECORD!"

"...yayyyyyy..." Nora cheered faintly, before passing out.

Weiss crossed her arms, "I fail to see how _that_ was an improvement."

"Hey, it was about _twenty_ seconds last time," Yang grinned.

"Has...anyone noticed all this time our training with William just consists of him just beating us to a pulp?" Blake pointed out.

"Yep!" Ruby grinned. "Noticed."

Blake looked surprised, "Huh?"

William snorted, "Never said I was drill master material." He took his helmet off and cracked his neck, "Figured comin' at ya' for seven days straight will sharpen you up."

"Oh, yeah..." Jaune chuckled nervously. "If the Grimm and the demons are as relentless as you, I don't think I'm ever going anywhere without my sword ever again." He noticed William was looking at him very sharply. "What?"

"Show me your hand," William stated seriously.

"Why?" Jaune asked, which earnt him an impatient leer from the Doom Slayer. "Hey, ok."

Jaune extended his left hand, which William grabbed and turned so that he was looking at his palm, or more accurately his fingertips, the lack of callus and how smooth they looked regardless of all the swordplay Jaune had taken part in, or lack thereof to be accurate. Everyone quietly observed William's abrupt intrusion upon Jaune's personal space.

"Uh...William? Something we should know?" Ruby questioned curiously.

"..." William disregarded her. Instead he asked Jaune, "You've been trainin' _how_ long?"

' _Oh...oh shit!'_ Jaune managed to keep a straight, calm face though he was inwardly panicking. _'Oh gods he...he knows-'_

Jaune swallowed, "...I..."

Pyrrha step forward, unhappy that her team leader was being accosted by the Slayer. "Why do you ask?"

"..." William let go of Jaune's hand, prompting him to hiss and try to massage the discomfort away. "Somethin' looked off."

Jaune thought his heart stopped beating for a second when VEGA indicated, _**++ A lack of callus on Mr. Arc's fingertips would indicate-++**_

"H _EYYYY..._ so classes finally start tomorrow, right?!" Jaune exclaimed, interrupting the AI with a wide nervous smile on his face. "Wonder if our new Hunter's uniforms have come in yet."

"If they have it's about time," Weiss stated as she pulled at her stained gym shirt. "I don't want to keep wearing these slacks for another minute."

"Because wearing Beacon provided gymnasium clothing it's so _uncouth,_ right?" Blake remarked, eliciting chuckles from Ruby and Yang.

Weiss felt a vein throb in her forehead. Her privilege was once again the butt of their jokes. She glowered over at her teammates, "I fail to see how the fact I just happen to come from Atlas and am heir to the Schnee Dust Company warrants derision from my own teammates."

"Cos' the SDC's bein' run by corporate _assholes_?" William flatly queried.

"WHA...uh?!" Weiss was at a loss for words. "How dare you?! My father-"

William tilted his head, obviously trying to elicit another reaction from Weiss, "Isn't an _asshole_?"

"..." Weiss' eyes were wide as saucers when she found herself unable to answer that.

Jaune felt compelled to answer William's accusation, "You have a problem with big corporations?"

"OBVIOUSLY he does!" Nora suddenly blurted as she roused herself from unconsciousness.

They didn't know. Ozpin hadn't yet shared the files concerning the UAC and it's downward spiral into cult land with Beacon's student body, apparently. Just the files on the demons, and that's it. Corporations weren't something unheard of back on Argent D'Nur, they were the ones behind all the science and technology that developed the armor and weapons for the Night Sentinels and the regular armed forces after all. Only they were never out for personal gain, at least once Hell was on D'Nur's doorstep. But back on Mars, Hayden and Union Aerospace Corporation drilled a metaphysical hole between dimensions and siphoned Argent energy directly from Hell as casually as one would drill for oil, unleashed Hell on Mars and William had to clean up their mess, and for his troubles he was banished to Remnant. And now he found himself underneath the shadow of yet another megacorporation – the Schnee Dust Company. And it was only going to be matter of time before they decided to make him – his Praetor suit and VEGA – _their_ business.

Was that the reason for his put downs toward Weiss? For a second William considered that maybe he wasn't being fair to her. But then again, she was going out of her way to act all snooty toward him and her team so, turnabout's fair play, then.

"Jus' the ones tryin' to kill us all," William finally answered Jaune's question.

"...ok," Jaune replied, unsure. "You know one that is?"

"..."

"And that's _not_ the Schnee Dust Company," Weiss declared as she glared at the Doom Slayer.

" _ANYWAYS_..." now it was Ruby's turn to try and change the subject, with an uncomfortable looking grin to match Jaune's. "Classes begin tomorrow. We'll finally be learning how to become proper Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"...not me," William replied as he felt his scroll vibrate, Ruby instantly deflated with a whine. Running a thumb across it, he read the message he just received...

 _Need to talk. Vacuo.  
\- OZPIN_

"..."

"William?" Ruby looked worried. "Y-you're not staying here?"

"Technically he's not a student here-" Weiss stated

"Of course, he is," Yang interjected, smiling reassuringly at her sister. She paused when she didn't notice a reaction out of William. Now she looked worried, "You are sticking around after tomorrow? You being the _demon zombie_ whatever _consultant_ after all."

"..."

"Right?"

William remembered there was still a Maiden in the vault below the school. And he noticed Ruby giving him that look that belonged to sad, little puppies and not a Huntress-In-Training. And despite all the 'training' put through all of them over the past seven days, the rest of the members of Teams RWBY and JNPR appeared apprehensive about William leaving Beacon, including Blake and surprisingly even Weiss.

"...sure," William replied and turned to leave. He lifted his scroll and shook it, indicating he had business. "Don't wait up."

Ruby quietly watched William depart. She stretched a hand toward him.

"...William?"

Nobody missed Ruby's peculiar attachment to the Slayer, especially Yang and the way she frowned at her sister, before she turned her heated gaze on William.

(RWBY)

 **(Headmaster's Office)**

It was only three minutes ago that communications to Vacuo were re-established. And the situation wasn't good, if Ozpin staring was at a holo-screen consisting of white noise was any dire indication.

"They're not advancing past Shade Academy?"

"They've TAKEN Shade Academy!" The audio was mostly intact. _"We managed to push them right back to where they came from. But they've dug in, and more em' and keeping in through that beam in the sky! Shade Academy and the surrounding area is officially Hell on Remnant, and we're keeping em' boxed in until we're ready to make a push!"_

"What about the Relic?"

" _I think if they got their hands on it we'd know about it!"_

The elevator doors opened and William stepped in, noticing Ozpin speaking to a screen of static.

"How long do you think you'll be able to hold out?"

" _Heh, who d'ya think you're speakin' to, Oz? We'll give em' Hell. Vacuo out!"_

Somehow Ozpin felt William's glare through his visor as he closed the holo-channel.

"Shade Academy has fallen to the demons. Without a standing army or any kind of military Vacuo is hard pressed with only it's Huntsmen, criminal elements and mercenaries to fall back on," Ozpin didn't mince words. "Vacuo's council is pressing Atlas to send reinforcements-"

"Take me _there_ ," William cut in bluntly. " _Now_."

"I intend to," Ozpin said. "Before that there will be a short detour back into the Vale forestlands. More specifically, the place where _you_ arrived on this world."

"..." William became silent when he realized he couldn't remember the events between Hayden sending him to Remnant and waking up from a freezer unit in a Atlas black site. From what clues he gathered he was wandering through a Vale forest slaughtering Grimm with his entire arsenal, afterward punching an entire platoon of Atlasien soldiers and somehow, they managed to restrain him. That would explain why Ironwood has it all for him.

William leaned forward toward Ozpin in a leer and asked, "An' if I wanted to go to Vacuo first?"

Ozpin felt his patience running thin, for the first time in a long time. "Atlas found a hidden door in a ruin near where you were slaughtering Grimm. Any effort to open the door has failed and Ironwood believes whatever is behind it could be dangerous-"

"If it's a D'Nurian teleporter, it _is_ dangerous," William stated.

Ozpin nodded, "That would explain the means to _how_ you arrived here. We still don't know _why_ , though?"

 _ **++Besides keeping Blazkowicz from interfering with Dr. Haydens plans for the Crucible?++**_

Ozpin closed his eyes, "He knows about Remnant, that much we know. You would believe he knew Hell would target our world once _you_ closed the Well back in D'Nur's ruins, Blazkowicz?"

"..." William had deprived Hell of their source of Argent energy by freeing the Wraiths and now they were going after their counterparts here on Remnant. "The teleporter-"

 _ **++May end up being used as a possible entry point for the demons,++**_ VEGA said. _**++Blazkowicz, we must consider securing, and possibly destroying, the teleportation pad within this underground, to deny the Hell dimension another way into Remnant.++**_

"..." William couldn't argue with that.

"'Destroy?'" Ozpin questioned. "When there's so much we can learn about instantaneous transport from one spot to another. If we could secure it before the demons have a chance to-" William crossed his arms. "I see. If you believe that is the right course of action."

 _ **++If Vacuo is compromised we cannot allow the enemy to spread further through the Sanus continent, at the same time they must not have other mean of interdimensional travel via the D'Nurian teleportation pads,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++The situation in Mistral-"**_

"Is under control at the moment," Ozpin raised a reassuring hand.

' _Under control?'_ William thought. _'Fuck you.'_

"Huntsmen have tracked the demons that escaped Haven's counterattack and are pursuing them throughout Mistral. So far they've been kept away from innocent civilians-"

 _ **++The presence of the Grimm have no doubt triggered more frenzies through Anima.++**_

"..." Ozpin nodded quietly. "The situation is dire, I'll accept that."

Ozpin paused when he noticed William had his hands on his desk, his fingers digging into the glass hard enough to crack it. For nearly a minute only the cogs turning in the Headmaster's office could be heard as William and Ozpin stared down one another.

"You won't?"

"..."

Ozpin calmly poured himself another cup of coffee, unfazed by the Slayer's impatience and quiet condemnation, "There's a bullhead fueled and ready to take you to the ruins waiting for you at the front of the Academy. Make sure whatever is down there will not fall into the wrong hands and make our present situation that much more unbearable and you'll be on your way to Vacuo, _express_." William retracted his gauntlets and turned to leave. Ozpin called out to him, "Have you said your goodbyes to Teams RWBY and JNPR?"

William paused as he waited for the lift to came back up.

"Doubtless they would miss you."

"Let em'," William replied as he stepped into the lift.

Ozpin smiled, "Oh, I forgot to mention: Team CFVY will be escorting you to the ruin."

"..." William pressed the button. "Sucks for _them_."

(RWBY)

 **(Team RWBY's Room)**

"OUR NEW HUNTER UNIFORMS ARE HERE?! THIS IS THE _BEST_!"

No one was more enthused about returning to their room to find their new requisite clothing than Ruby. Besides their school uniforms, preferred casual wear and pajamas, there was, of course, their Hunters gear – their specialized uniforms to be worn while on the field, tailor made, each based on their strengths while at the same time designed to compensate for their weaknesses.

Team RWBY each stripped themselves of their gym clothing, Weiss tempted to burn it once the day was out, and got dressed in their new gear: Ruby had what appeared to grey-colored bodysuit made of interlocking armored plates underneath a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resembled the lacing of a corset. Red-colored armored plating were on her shoulders, knees and elbows, armored boots and wore red-colored fingerless gloves. She had ditched the skirt for practically, instead settling for a short red scarf for vanity's sake. Her personal rose emblem was emblazoned over her left right breast.

Weiss wore a light steel cuirass underneath a white, double-breasted jacket with black piping, cuffs and buttons with shoulder-plating. Like Ruby she ditched the skirt, not wanting to risk anything grabbing hold of her, settling for pants with garters incorporated into them, much like her sister Winter.

Blake settled for a black light armor vest over a white shirt and black pants. But as for Yang, realizing there was no way was going to ever stop herself from charging into a horde of demons or Grimm, decided to really deck herself out in a black bodysuit much like Ruby's, but underneath a layer of heavy-looking, yellow-colored titanium armor that covered (not to mention _compressed_ ) her bust, shoulders, arms, knees and armored boots and topped off with an armored headband. The end result: she resembled a walking tank.

And all of them had their head done up with clips, leaving absolutely no danger of their hair being grabbed by the enemy during the head of battle. Each observing themselves in the mirror they marveled at how professional and battle-ready they appeared, immediately giving way to disappointment.

"I miss my battle skirt," Ruby whined sadly.

Weiss shifted uncomfortably as she tried to get used to the weight of body armor underneath her jacket, "This will take some getting used to."

Yang hissed as she adjusted her breast plate, really feeling the tightness around her chest, "Uh...feels like my tits are being _squished_." She reached up to her hair and felt it tied underneath the headband she was wearing. "No way I'm gonna look flashy kicking some demon's ass."

"Well, it beats having your scalp ripped off," Blake shrugged as she checked Gambol Shroud. "Blazkowicz made that extremely clear."

"And the demons that were trying to kill us a week ago," Weiss added, turning to the mirror and giving herself another one-over. She sighed and muttered, "I miss _my_ skirt as well."

Ruby gave a small smile, "I wonder if William will like our-" She stopped when she remembered William was on his way out of Beacon, and immediately grew despondent.

"Why do you care about what Blazkowicz thinks?" Weiss addressed Ruby dubiously.

Ruby realized Weiss, Yang and Blake were looking at her, interested. Especially the way Yang appeared suspicious.

"Uh...well it's just...we're dressed more like him now and maybe he'll...you know...take us seriously?"

Weiss snorted, "You mean he wasn't being serious with us when he knocked us about for seven days straight?"

Ruby tapped her fingers together and responded quietly, "I don't want him to go."

"Huh?" Yang muttered. Her eyes widened, _'Oh crap, don't tell me-?'_

"Why are you hung up on Blazkowicz leaving anyway?" Blake dimmed her eyes.

Ruby smiled sadly, "It's just...he has my mom's _eyes_." She glanced at Yang, "Right?"

The brawler realized where Ruby was coming from and was saddened herself, "Yeah."

"Do you think they're _related_?"

"WHAT?!" Yang exclaimed. "B.J. and mom?"

"Because they have the same eye color?" Weiss derided. "Please, I'm sure there's plentyof people with the same eye color as Blazkowicz."

"..." Ruby and Yang became quiet. "Jeez, sis..."

"...there isn't?" Blake inquired skeptically.

Ruby shook her head. Crestfallen, she replied, "No."

(RWBY)

 **(Main Avenue)**

Students kept a wide berth for William, his Praetor suit and the small armory he had strapped on to himself as he made his way down the main avenue toward the airstrips near Beacon Academy's cliffside. Obviously, his curb-stomping of Team CRDL wasn't something that was going to be forgotten anytime soon, especially from Team CFVY – Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina and Yatsuhashi Daichi – the 2nd Year team already waiting for him, standing outside the bullhead, the pilot immediately firing up the engine when he noticed William walking their way.

"Hey, Blazkowicz. Remember us?" William nodded. Coco smirked, "Looks like we get _you_ to ourselves for the rest of the day."

"..." William noticed Velvet tried to avert eye contact with him, looking slightly flushed. What was up with the beastkin and her inability to look at him straight?

"We watched you fight four days ago," Yatsuhashi pointed out, holding his greatsword of his shoulder. "That was _something_."

"..." Fox stared quietly at William through blind, white eyes.

Williams returned the expression, "..."

"Uh...yeah. Blakzowicz, Fox. Fox, Blazkowicz," Coco gestured between the two before pointing at the bullhead. "We're burning daylight so let's get going."

William walked right past them and climbed up into the cabin. Before CFVY had a chance to follow them he stood still, blocking their way. "Anyone wanna back out?" asked William suddenly, looking over his shoulder at the suddenly bewildered 2nd Years. "Last chance."

Coco put a hand on her hip and adjusted her shades, "That a joke?"

"Hear me laughin'?"

"Ozpin ordered us to accompany you on this mission and that is what we're going to do," Yatsuhashi crossed his arms. "If you're worried about how we'll do against demonic foes if we run into them, don't be."

"We've been out there plenty of times, Blazkowicz," Velvet added. "We know what we're doing."

"..." William didn't feel like arguing with them and moved to stand in the middle of the bullhead, ignoring the sound and flash of a camera.

Velvet grinned as she took a shot of the guns and chainsaw William had strapped to himself, wincing a bit from Yatsuhashi's look of disapproval over provoking the Doom Slayer before following the rest of her team and boarded the aircraft. It took off almost immediately, Team CFVY taking their seats in the cabin.

All the while Fox hadn't broken his blind gaze on the Doom Slayer.

(RWBY)

 **(White Fang Safehouse)  
(Vale City)**

Sitting alone in his private room in a run-down, abandoned tenement building in the outskirts of Vale City, Adam put down handle of the dagger into his mouth and tears were threatening to spill from his eyes as he injected the painkillers into both his knee caps, grunting as the syringe penetrated the skin through to the patella, biting down hard on the handle and grunting painfully as he pressed the plunger down.

"...fuuuccckkkk..." Adam groaned through the dagger in his mouth as he shuddered in agony. He tore the syringe out the second it went try, immediately reaching for the bottle full of oxycodone lying on the table beside his bed. Spitting the dagger out scarfed two pills down, swallowing them as he gripped his leg and fell off the chain, gritting his teeth as the pain became too much.

"Adam?" he heard someone bang on his door. "You ok in there? You need help?"

"I'M FINE!" Adam exclaimed. "GIMME... just give me five minutes..."

"Uh...you got it, brother."

Sweat running down his face he exhaled painfully. This was how it was. How it was for the past week and a half. Moving from one hiding place to another waiting for those humans Cinder and Torchwick to order him and his brothers and sister around like they were common guns-for-hire. All the while doping himself up on prescription-based painkillers when he couldn't handle the pain in his knees anymore. Pain inflicted by that _monster_!

The Grimm Marine. Adam gripped the pill bottle tightly as his mind wandered back to that armored freak of a human butchering and demoralizing his men, castrating Marlowe and shooting him in the kneecaps. It's not just Blake that will suffer for double-crossing him, oh no, it will be this faceless bastard who thought he could screw with the White Fang.

He heard his scroll ring. He grimaced when he saw that it was that _woman_ on the line.

"...what do you want, Cinder?"

" _Adam,"_ she sounded as sultry as ever. _"Have I caught you at a bad time?"_

"It's none of your business," Adam snarled. "Are you calling about the Dust we're supposed to be moving for Torchwick? If so the bastard can wait a little longer."

" _Oh I assure he's more than happy with your enthusiasm towards our cause. This concerns our benefactor."_

"What about _her_?"

" _She's interested in someone. A human. Powerful. Someone she thinks could be of use to us, if given the proper motivation,"_ Cinder explained. " _And he's connected to the attack on Beacon a week ago."_

Adam hissed angrily. He had been looking forward to attacking Beacon Academy and drawing first human blood. "We we're beaten to the punch by...what...the Grimm?"

" _No. Something else. Something you don't need to concern yourself over at the moment,"_ Cinder replied. _"The man we're looking for, you'll know when you'll see him."_

"Can't you get your little kids to get him for you? Why should we have to concern ourselves with yet another human?"

" _I've already sent them. The minute he's no longer in the relative safety of Beacon they'll be upon him. And they could all the support they can get."_

Chuckling derisively Adam mocked, "What, they can't handle _one_ human?" His scroll received another message – one with an attachment. Opening it he saw... _Him_. Standing there. In armor. And leaving Adam's jaw agape and his blood running cold, "...uh...wha-?"

" _And judging from that, neither could you, apparently,"_ Cinder retorted smugly. _"Have your men spread out around Vale and be ready in case he sets foot outside Beacon. Don't disappoint us, Taurus."_ She hung up, leaving Adam lying on the floor, his face red as rage began to bubble up within him.

And without waiting for the painkillers to take effect and ignoring the horrific pain in his knees he stood up, grabbing his Wilt and Blush and tearing his door open.

"MARLOWE!" he roared. "GATHER OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS! YOUR BALLS ARE ABOUT TO BE AVENGED!"

(RWBY)

 **(Above the Forestlands...)  
(Vale)**

 **(30 Minutes Later...)**

The bullhead ferrying William and Team CFVY had been in the air for about half-an-hour, having long left Vale City as they headed toward where the Doom Slayer has first laid foot upon this world. William hated having these gaps in his memory. To him Hayden had just swiped the Crucible from him, next thing he knew he was waking up from stasis in an underground lab and killing beastkin terrorists buck naked.

William was distracted from his thought when Coco scooted closer to him, "Hey, Blazkowicz?"

"Hm?"

"I'll assume this a one-time thing, right?" Coco asked. "Can't have the 1st Years hogging you all to themselves, huh?"

"..." William just kept looking ahead portside.

Coco smirked, "I mean, Team CRDL managed to get some time in with the Grimm Marine so why can't we?"

Velvet blushed and turned herself so that they others wouldn't have to see her reaction to the suggestion that they get to the Doom Slayer to themselves, causing Coco to belt a good chuckle. William noticed that Fox was silently 'staring' at him with those glazed-over white eyes of his. And though he was blind somehow William could tell he was looking tense.

And so did Coco. She addressed her partner, "You're...uh... _looking_ at Blazkowicz really intensely, Fox. Anything you want to say to him?"

"..." Fox remained quiet.

"Don't mind him," Yatsuhashi said. "He's not mute, he just prefers to speak when he had to. He tends to find other ways to express himself."

"Like you, I guess," Velvet added, smiling lightly. "Right, Fox? Blazkowicz?"

"..." Fox remained silent.

As did William, "..."

" _Exactly_ what I was going to say," Coco smirked. She turned her head to the cockpit door. "Hey pilot, how much further?"

" _About another fifteen minutes,"_ the cockpit responded. _"There's a moderate concentration of Grimm in the area but it's going to be aerial insertion only. Call me when you're ready for extraction."_

"Got it," Coco acknowledged. She turned to William, "Oh wait, you're not coming back to Beacon, aren't you?"

"..." William performed a weapons check with his weapons. "Vacuo."

"What's waiting for you in Vacuo?" Yatsuhashi inquired, holding his greatsword in front of him with the point touching the steel floor.

"..." Fox tilted his head inquisitively.

"Yeah, there's been nothing but silence for about a week," Velvet sounded concerned. "Do you know what's happening?"

"..." William contemplated giving them something other than the mission to worry about. He was about to say something, only for the bullhead's internal alarm system to blare.

" _WE GOT A MISSILE LOCK!"_

"Wha-? OH SHIT... _ **RPG**_!" Velvet exclaimed.

" _HOLD TIGHT! ATTEMPTING EVASIVE MANEUVERS!"_

William spotted the smoke trail heading toward the bullhead from the tree line below. Drawing his heavy assault rifle and not bothering to aim through the scope he fired from the shoulder. One of his Fire Dust-infused bullets managed to hit home and the missile exploded at least a couple of yards away from the bullhead, the resulting concussion however was hard enough to rock the bullhead, jerking everybody about on board, and Coco stumbled backward and fell out of the cabin before Fox had the chance to grab her.

"COCO!" Velvet screamed.

It was pure instinct when William leapt out of the cabin as well, the two of them plummeting down toward the forest. This high up in the air and the way Coco was falling she had no way to angle herself she would have landed on her back on a tree branch, and even with her Aura the impact would snap her spine in two. The weight of his Praetor suit proved heavy enough for William to fall like a brick allowed him catch up to Coco, grabbing her by the hand and yanking her towards him. He wrapped his left arm around her and activated his thrust boots, angling himself and marginally slowed their descent before they crashed into the trees, Coco crying out in panic as they hit the ground, William turning himself so he landed on his side, Coco bouncing off him and hitting the ground.

"...ahhh...shit..." Coco felt several bruised ribs. "...Blazkowicz...?"

William was already standing back up, and to Coco's horror and disgust his left arm was hanging limply at his side, dislocated. The Slayer managed a grunt of discomfort before grabbing his arm and popping it back into it's socket. Coco cringed as William flexed his arm before reaching for his heavy assault rifle.

"Can you move?" William asked.

Coco nodded, "Yeah, I-" Coco suddenly blocked her ears as William began firing at something behind her. Spinning around and gripping her handbag she saw that it was a Beowolf. A Beowolf that howled in rage as it was enshrouded in Argent energy, it's eyes a blazing orange as it suffered immensely from the demonic possession, and so did Coco as the Hell energy screwed with her Aura and she felt like she was on fire.

William remembered that the Grimm were nothing but soulless, empty vessels...just waiting to be taken over.

The Beowolf's roar sounded utterly demonic as it lunged at both William and Coco, the Slayer immediately relieved it of it's head with his chainsaw as Coco transformed her handbag into it's minigun and peppered it midair, Hell energy spilling out of it's wounds that tore the body apart as the demon within bellowed in rage and agony as it disappeared from this material plane.

"Ah, what the shit?!" Coco shouted. "That Grimm was-"

" _Possessed_!" William growled. He looked up to see the bullhead circling above the tree, dodging tracer fire. His scroll suddenly rang before it was intercepted by VEGA...

 _\- SYNCING HUD TO WIRELESS DEVICE..._

 _ **\- INCOMING VOICE COMM**_ _  
VELVET SCARLATINA_

" _Blazkowicz, Coco! Are you guys alright?!"_ William heard Velvet practically shriek through the speakers in his helmet.

Loud enough for Coco to hear, "Yeah! Are you trying to get shot down?! Get clear, _now_!"

" _Forget it, we're not leaving you guy alone out here! Watch the skies for us!"_

William and Coco looked up through overhead leaves and tree branches to see three figures leap from the bullhead and into the tree below, the aircraft climbing higher toward a safe distance away from enemy fire. "Ffffuuuucckkkkk..." Coco hissed angrily through clenched together. "C'mon, Blazkowicz..."

++ _ **I am**_ t _ **riangulating their scroll locations. Pinpointing here...++**_ VEGA informed, their locations indicated on Williams' HUD. _**++One hundred and twenty meters west.++**_

"Got it," Coco prepped her minigun. "And who's shooting at-?"

William and Coco found themselves dodging Atlas-produced assault rifle fire as white-uniformed humanoids emerged from the forest, guns blazing. Coco opened up with her minigun, shredding grass, wood and flesh alike as she cleared a path, William switched to his combat shotgun, switching out the barrel for his charged burst mod and blowing a guerrilla apart, entrails slopping out of where his stomach used to be.

Coco recognized the uniforms, "Wait a min-? These are the SDC's security gimps!"

"..." William sneered. The white/black security uniform had completely fused to the skin, it's bullpup rifle merged with its left arm. The rot emanating from demon within had turned it's hair metallic green and it's eyes were a glowing orange from the Hell energy emanating from the Possessed as it snarled angrily up at the Doom Slayer. If it weren't for the helmet Coco would have seen William's enraged scowl right before he leveled the gun at the Possessed's head with one hand where pulled the trigger, the kickback knocking his arm upward. The Possessed's head was blown in half, blood and grey matter erupting and staining Williams visor and suit.

"... _proditor_..." William muttered in Argent Lingua.

Coco loosened her grip on the trigger, "Gesundheit."

"..."

"A little levity, sue me," Coco cried. "Move it!"

 **(One Hundred and Twenty Meters Away...)**

It was like being in a room-sized oven. It was summer in Vacuo. It felt like his soul was on fire. Yatsuhashi knew that the Grimm that were attacking him, Velvet and Fox were possessed by dark forces unimaginable as the Beowolves ran circles around them, weaving around the trees before hurling themselves as Team CFVY sans it's leader, Yatsuhashi slicing one of them horizontally in half, releasing the Hell energy within the empty vessel.

The Possessed SDC on the other hand sprayed only red once their Aura's were depleted, and their hearts sank when they each they had to kill these things that were once human. Fox slashed one Possessed to ribbons when he leapt at him from behind a tree to try and deck him with his rifle-arm, slicing both his forearms off with one stroke of his blade-gauntlets before he thrusted the blade backward and up through his skull before he tossed the body into the gaping maw of a Possessed Alpha Beowolf, the Grimm bringing it's jaws down and tearing the Possessed in half in time for it to be riddled with buckshot from Velvet's light-copy of Williams' combat shotgun she had summoned from her box. Without the drawback of weapon kickback and weight Velvet handled it easily enough, just not the fact she just took a human life.

It proved too much when her stomach felt like it turned itself upside down and she threw up right in the middle of combat, collapsing on one knee as she tried not to choke on her own vomit. _'Dammit, not now!'_ she thought, alarmed. She barely registered what sounded like a rocket being launched and the smoke trails heading her way before she was scooped up off her feet courtesy of Fox and leapt to safety, the explosion sending them flying further than they should have, Velvet's back making impact with a tree and she slid down the length, her Aura halfway depleted.

Another demonic scream, another Possessed corpse landed ride beside her, half of his head missing and was left of his brains slopped onto the grass. Velvet nearly screamed in fright until the killer stepped forward into her line of sight – Blazkowicz – and ejected the spent shell from his combat shotgun. Coco followed close behind, her minigun still live and killing Grimm left and right. Up until she missed just one – a lizard-like Grimm which lacked forelimbs known as a Creep – dodged her high-velocity rounds and made a dive for the Doom Slayer.

And it felt William's foot smash right through its jaw and enter it's bod deep enough to reduce it to a monstrous-looking non-sentient sock that William had to literally shake off before it's form cracked as the Hell energy within it was released. Without a word he reached down and grabbed Velvet by the shoulder and hoisted her up, shoving her box into her hands before charging to stomp another Grimm down before shotgunning another Possessed to death.

Soon William plus Team CFVY standing in the middle of a massacre – dead Grimm slowly fading away and even deader Possessed SDC Security piled up against the tree and around their feet.

Coco swallowed, "Blazkowicz?"

"Adel."

"What the not-literal HELL is the Schnee Dust Company doing here?!" Coco shouted, enraged. "And why are they packing _RPGs_? Not to kill Grimm, that's for sure."

"And they're _possessed_!" Velvet cried. "And...and the Grimm are fighting alongside them?"

"The Grimm are possessed too," Yatsuhashi pointed out.

"..." William couldn't answer any of that.

"It's obvious the SDC has beaten us to the ruins and released whatever secrets it kept within it. And it's twisted them into..." Yatsuhashi trailed off as he tried to find the right words. "Vessels for the demons."

"..." Fox swiped the blood of his gauntlets and pointed in the direction of where they should be headed.

"They didn't shoot our ride down?" Coco inquired.

"It's at minimum safe distance," Velvet replied. "The pilot's standing by until we make sure they won't try to shoot it down."

"Good enough. Hey, A.I.?" Coco said. "Input. _Now_."

 _ **++The location of the ruin is approximately another hundred meters, continued west,++**_ VEGA reported. _**++I suggest you hurry in case we encounter any more of these Possessed Grimm.++**_

"We're told they're nothing but empty vessels but..." Yatsuhashi shook his head. "I never imagined-"

"Save it!" Coco exclaimed. "And double-time!"

 **(Another Hundred Meters Later...)**

"...shit."

The abandoned ruins that had been mentioned to Team CFVY in their briefing resembled the kind found in the Emerald Forest outside Beacon, only it was much larger and more spacious as if it were part of a fortress once upon a time before nature reclaimed it. Vines twisting around and through stone pillars, tree grown through marble floor, and the ritualistically mutilated bodies of Schnee Dust Company personnel that had not been possessed, their blood all over the tends and equipment they had brought with them all the wall from Atlas. Several more security personnel were nailed to the three company bullheads in all sorts of painful, sacrilegious poses. Glowing demonic runes decorated the bullheads and much of the surrounding ruins, painted in blood and powered by Hell energy.

 _ **++Faint traces of Argent energy detected in the immediate area,++**_ VEGA said. _**++A Lazarus Wave had been triggered here.++**_

"I'm guessing a Lazarus Wave is what turns you into a zombie?" Coco inquired.

 _ **++Correct.++**_

Velvet shivered when she asked, "How?"

"..." William felt the hairs on his body stand on his end as his gut went cold. He growled, " _It's_ here."

"'It'?" Coco look at him, bewildered.

"..." Fox found himself on edge as well.

"'It' who?"

 **++Deag Grav.** _ **He**_ **...is here.++**

"HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP! SOMEBODY HELLLLLPPPPP MEEEEEEEEEE"

A wailing scream for help drew their attention and they ran straight past the SDC bullheads and encampment toward a ruined outdoor temple, and the most wretched sight there could ever be. Coco blanched to see the corpse of an Alpha Beowolf propped up to stand on it's hind legs, it's head awkwardly remolded to resemble a goat, with massive white bone horns that curved behind it's head. The Possessed SDC and Grimm that surrounded where on their knees, bowing and howling in reverence toward the twisted icon of evil worship of Grimm and demon as it held in it's enlarged hands a company man that tried to squirm desperately out of it's hold.

The company man turned to see the Huntsmen, Huntresses...and Priority One _himself._

"HELP! HELP ME PL-" his screaming was cut short when the Grimm swarmed him and tore him to pieces the rest of the Possessed, woke their obeisance and their all charged William and Team CFVY's way. And Coco was screaming in rage as she opened up with her minigun, Velvet summoning dual assault rifles and William just charged them with his chainsaw, propelling himself into the air and slashing the throat of a Ursa, leaving the head to dangle by a threat off it's neck. William landed on the body hard enough to pin it to the ground, crushing a Possessed SDC Security Guard underneath it.

Another Beowolf tried to blindside the Doom Slayer, and bisected midair by Fox. Opening his hands his palms landed on William's shoulders and he pushed himself off, gaining momentum and hacking two more Grimm midair before bringing his blades down on another Possessed Guard, hacking it's arms off and finishing it off by slicing it across the chest in a X motion, it's torso coming apart in four pieces, revealing another Possessed Guard that levelled it's rifle right in Fox's face. Fox ignored the ringing in his ears as he reflexively moved his head to the right to avoid the point-blank shot and plunged his fist right through the Possessed face, into it's skull until he reached brain.

"Ah...EWWWWW!" Coco nearly shriked when she saw her partner messily dispatch another Possessed when he tore the Possessed's frontal lobe out before kicking the corpse right at the twisted Goat Grimm idol.

And that was a mistake as the Hell energy radiating off the Possessed seeped into the idol. The Goat Grimm form roared as it's empty form was taken over by the demon, it's body absorbing the Possessed and feeding itself as it forced itself to stand on it's hind legs.

"Oh gods..." Velvet cried.

"Way to go, Fox," Coco drawled with sarcasm. "Boss fight!"

The Goat Grimm looked over the three humans, one Faunus and the Doom Slayer himself and bellowed in rage before stomping over toward them, claws extended as it tried to grab hold of the nearest one. William readied his chainsaw only to be beaten to the punch by Fox, the blind youth speeding right past him and sliding between the Goat Grimm's hind legs, hacking them right off. Not missing a beat William swung his chainsaw right into the Goat's chest, black matter and Argent energy spilling out as he cut through the monstrosity.

The Goat Grimm bellowed and unleashed a wave of Hell energy that knocked everyone back, it's rented fleshing twisted itself to form black tendrils that wrapped itself around William's arms and legs. It lifted him into the air as it's chest reformed itself to form a gaping maw filled with sharp, sword-like teeth and a seemingly endless black chasm. William tore his right arm free, tearing the tendril right off as tried reaching for his super shotgun as it dragged him into it's 'mouth' to send him into the blackness it contained within itself.

"WILLIAM!" Velvet exclaimed as she summoned a light copy of William's chainsaw, driving the copied rotary death dealder through the Goat Grimm's malformed head as Yatuhashi swung his greatsword and sliced the tendrils that gripped William, which sent him falling to the ground as he loaded two HE Fire Dust shells into his supper shotgun.

"RAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHH!" Yatsuhashi was next to drive his greatsword into the back of the Goat Grimm, and with all his strength he lifted it into the air, impaled on his blade. A massive maw began to shape itself on it's back and would have bitten Yatsuhashi's head right off if William hadn't stuck the barrel of his super shotgun into it and pulled the trigger.

The Grimm-Demon hybrid exploded in a swirling miasma of black and Argent red and orange, the blowback sending everyone flying once again, William right through the crumbling ruin wall.

"..." William had no idea how long he laid there, covered in pieces of a ruin as his suit absorbed the Argent energy he had been bombarded with. Though his eyes rang terribly he could still make out Velvet calling out to him.

"Blazkowicz?!" she cried out. "He went through that wall."

"Go around!"

"Blazko-? BLAZKOWICZ!"

William sat up and turned his head to see Velvet running toward him, a big smile of relief on her face.

"You're ok!" she cried happily. "I thought...that was the end for all of us!"

"..." William brushed the pieces and stood back up. "It wasn't."

A couple of minutes later everyone had nearly recovered from their bout with the demons, the Grimm, and the demons that had been possessing the Grimm. Nearly as in they all felt like their had walked through a forest fire with the Argent energy that had been released after killing the demonically-possessed Grimm.

"We should've seen all this coming," Coco groused as she tried to catch her breath. "I mean...Grimm are supposed to be empty vessels. They're practically open real estate for these things."

"And they twisted the Grimm's bodies like...like clay," Yatsuhashi added, He turned to William, "Did you know they could that?"

"Imagined they would," William replied, tracing a finger around the barrel of his super shotgun. He felt that the high-explosive Fire Dust had warped the barrels some more. "Never seen it."

"Oh."

Everyone turned to see Velvet crouching over the SDC rep's remains, his scroll in her hands and her giving through his messages.

"Something _bad_ we should know about?" Coco asked.

Velvet nodded, "Yeah. Blazkowicz should see this." She tossed the scroll his way, "Catch."

William caught it and looked down at the last message received. He broadcasted the message in holographic format, which allowed the other to read it.

 _DIRECTOR,  
Vale Site secured. Breaching to commence shortly.  
Artifacts for transportation to Epsilon..._

Yatsuhashi frowned, "That's not good."

"No shit," Coco grounded out

' _Vale Site?'_ William thought, alarmed at the implications. _'Shit...'_

 _ **++Atlas, or at least the Schnee Dust Company, knew about the existence of the D'Nurian teleportation long before our arrival.++**_

"..." and the SDC just went and become a pain in his ass.

Fox shook his head and opened his mouth.

"Ozpin-"

And felt a hellblade pierce impale him, the business emerging out of his chest. His mouth was wide open in a silent scream as Deag Grav emerged from the particles of the fading body of a Beowolf, having hid himself within one of those soulless husks, and took Fox with him as he slowly ascended into; the young man convulsing uncontrollably as hell energy began to tear his body apart from the inside.

 _Rip..._

" _ **NOOOOOOOO**_!" once Coco got over the shock she screamed. Her minigun's barrels spun but she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger, not without tearing Fox, her partner, to shreds as well.

Yatsuhashi bellowed in rage and charged them, holding his word high in the air with intent to take the Summoner's head off. Deag appeared to sneer at Yatsu's act of defiance and twisted the blade, forcing Fox's mouth wide open as Argent energy expelled itself out of his mouth before Deag lifted his hellblade up and out of Fox and up the length of his body.

 _...and..._

This split him in half from the torso _upward._ Deag sadistically hurled the corpse at Yatsuhashi, he instinctively blocked with his greatsword and Fox's body pulped itself against him, knocking him down and covering him in his friend and teammate's blood.

And all over Velvet as well. She screamed...

... _ **TEAR!**_

...and William angrily roared and drew his chainsaw...

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

...hell bent on avenging yet another person he wasn't able to _save_.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _And this is the part where the story gets REALLY dark._

 _I meant to have this chapter out in time for Quakecon 2018 and the gameplay reveal of Doom Eternal. Buuttttt...life has a way of hurling big flaming curveballs your way, and I had to deal with them. That and trying to decide if I really wanted to kill Fox and let you all know no one that isn't the Doom Slayer is safe._

 _Deag Grav isn't one to sit in the shadows and let his minions do ALL the heavy lifting. And even though he's yet to make a physical appearance in the Doom series, if he ever will, I'm going to do my best to write him as the most diabolical villain in RWBY fan fiction. And I plan to give him a more...unique appearance later on in the story._

 _...and if he does appear in Doom Eternal and he is NOT a Summoner, I'll feel compelled to rewrite his entire appearance in this fic, up until I give him that more...unique appearance._

 _I admit it was torture describing Team RWBY new uniforms and had to use the RWBY wiki as a guide. Just picture their alternate appearances in Season 2 but looking more practical, including id Software style armor pieces and lack of skirts._

 _Now, Doom Eternal. Someone joked on YouTube that the reason why Activision has dropped single-player from Call of Duty (the jerks) is because they know they can't compete with id Software. And I think I understand why, heh. The Phobos gameplay? The scene of the Doom Slayer just walking through the control room, I reckon it's one of the best written scenes in gaming history – the NPCs reacting how they should be a FPS protagonist, not like Call of Duty. ^_^ Doom Slayer is the most badass protagonist of all time, and I hope my take on him lives up to it._

 _The Meathook attachment to the Super Shotgun, suddenly the Doom Slayer is just as maneuverable as the characters from RWBY, especially with the mouse and keyboard. And his redesigned armor: Definitely Post-Season 3 time skip material, especially with those biceps of his. Speaking of which, I retconned his age back in_ _ **The New World V**_ – _he's lived for millennia but he now he looks exactly like a young adult, about as old as the final year students at Beacon._

 _I get the feeling Argent D'Nur and the Doom Slayer's origins are going to be play a bigger role in Eternal, and I seriously hope it doesn't contradict the lore and history I've made up so far. If it does, I'll deal with it._

 _It's a good thing Adam's Trailer dropped when it did while I was writing this chapter, on account of SDC Security Forces' first appearance. There can NOT be a DOOM/RWBY fic where hundreds of these poor redshirted sods are forced into the meatgrinder – coming out as either ground chuck courtesy of the demons or turning into Possessed with their weapons fused to their arms, their eyes glowing red, their hair stained green and William punching their faces off._

 _This fic was added to the DOOM and RWBY Fan Fic Recommendation lists on TV Tropes. :D_


	16. Demon Seed IV: Intestinal Garrote

_**v.1**_

* * *

 _ **CORRUPTED KEEP I,  
QUAKE CHAMPIONS, ANDREW HULSHULT**_

A magical circle of spiraling demonic runes was summoned beneath Deag's floating form when he summoned an Argent shield that blocked William's chainsaw, and unleashed a slicing energy wave the rented the ground as it hurtled toward Coco. She dodged it, her minigun barrels already spinning as she fired back. Deag's form became like Hell energy, the bullets passing harmlessly through him as he became a red streak that appeared behind Coco.

The fashionista's minigun quickly changed back a purse and she rolled away from the Summoner, countering with a leap into the air as she swung it at Deag's head. The Cardinal of Hell growled and deflected her strike with his summoned hellblade which knocked her down. As he moved to behead her he growled in pain as he felt one of William's .50 caliber bullets pierce through his right shoulder, the Slayer firing recklessly up at him.

Coco gritted her teeth as she fought to stop herself from breaking down. Her gaze rolled over to the bisected, pulped remains of her partner Fox and his blood all over Yatsuhashi and Velvet. The rabbit Faunus had ceased her screaming, instead she frantically went through her weapon light copies until she produced a replica of Yatsuhashi's greatsword. Angry tears were running down her face as she ran at the Summoner, Yatsuhashi picking himself up off the ground and hurling himself at the demon as well, the both of them intent on slicing Deag Grav to pieces midair.

Deag's summoned two spinning runes for each hand and deflected their blows. He followed with a point-blank Argent blast that knocked them down and sending them writhing on the floor, screaming as their Auras absorbed the Hell energy and their souls burned within them. William tackled him out of midair and through a ruin wall, raining punches on him up until he reached for his pistol and shoved it underneath the Summoner's chin.

Deag expelled a massive wave of Hell energy from his body powerful enough to send William flying back through the ruin wall, destabilizing the structure enough for it to collapse and bury the demon underneath it.

William grumbled angrily once he had skidded to a stop across the stone pavement. He got up and shouted, " _ **ADEL**_!"

" _ **WHAT?!"**_ Coco shouted back as she gripped Velvet's shoulders tightly in an effort to stop her thrashing violently as the Argent energy worked it's way out of her Aura.

"SOMETHIN' _HEAVY_! NOW!"

"...goddammit...CATCH!"

William caught an Atleisian Rocket Propelled Grenade "RPG-MARK I" Launcher, the design simplistic and cost effective looking compared to the high-explosive death dealers he was used to. _'Finally!'_ William nevertheless smiled as he adjusted the sigh. He missed the feel of heavy ordinance in his hands, but he didn't miss the karma that was Deag Grav being buried beneath rubble, the bastard having done _that_ to the Slayer eons ago.

A piece of ruin was suddenly blown his way just as William pulled the trigger, the missile hitting the debris. The concussion knocked William back, the Slayer skidding across the ruined pavement as pieces of rock and brick bounced harmlessly off his suit as a streak of Argent energy flew deeper into the ruins. William was about to take off in pursuit when he looked over his shoulder to see Team CFVY – Yatsuhashi using his sword to help him stand back up, where he stumbled over toward Velvet, the rabbit on her hands and knees as she forced herself on her feet. As she struggled to switch out the ammunition in her miniguns feeder, Coco glanced at Fox's bisected, pulped corpse before noticing William looking at them.

"..." William turned and pursed Deag, shoving another rocket into the launcher's launch tube as he ran into what appeared to be gathering area, placing him in the center of the ruins.

And Deag psychically levelled a stone pillar his way, tearing it out of the ground and hurling it across the ground toward him. William dove out of the way and it slammed through another wall, pulling the trigger of his RPG. The Summoner snarled and waved his hand, redirecting the rocket into the woods and reducing the tree it struck to burnt cinders. Dropping the RPG, he switched to his heavy assault rifle and opened up, eye through the scope.

And the sight of Fox's silently screaming as he was torn apart was fresh in his mind's eye, momentarily distracting him long enough for Deag inflict an Argent-powered uppercut that propelled through another temple ruin wall...

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed IV:  
Intestinal Garotte**

" _I don't get it. Are they dead, as in they're walking corpses that are being controlled by the demons all the way in Hell? Or are they actually possessed_ _by_ _a demon? If they are, are they aware of what's happening to them? If we kill them, do their souls go to Hell?"  
_ _ **\- Common question regarding the Possessed.**_

(RWBY)

...and skidding to a stop across the mosaic floor he could make out, upside down, that he had landed right before a sealed stone door. He sighed out his nostrils. He had been distracted.

And his _mark_ was carved into said door. He pushed himself off the ground and landed back on his feet as Deag charged him with his hellblade, and was rammed out of the air by an enraged Yatsuhashi. The tall youth bellowed madly and swung his gigantic greatsword, putting another strength behind it to cause the Summoner's hellblade to fizzle out, leaving Deag to phase out of the way of his sword to appear in his blind spot. He suddenly shrieked in pain when he found himself separated from his left arm as Velvet hit him in the shoulder with her light copy of William's super shotgun, the force causing him to somersault backwards into the air, blood pouring from his wound which he covered with his free hand.

"I'm not wasting any more time!" Velvet exclaimed, using her box to summon a heavy assault rifle with the scope attached. She aimed up at Deag as he continued to spin in the air, still screaming in agony. "This is for Fox, you bastard-"

"VELVET!"

 _ **++Caution: Grimm activity bearing down on this location from all sides.++**_

 _ **(1:42)**_

Yatsuhashi decapitated a Ursa that had leapt out from the trees, followed by cutting down Beowolves left and right as the conflict within the ruins drew the attention of the uncorrupted Grimm within the forest. Coco laid down a hail of bullets when she caught up to her teammates, shredding Grimm left and right before turning her minigun at Deag. The Summoner bellowed angrily and swooped down toward Team C(F)VY, dodging Velvet's fire as he went for his severed arm.

Having guessed what he was aiming for, William's chainsaw was out as he made a sprint for the demon's arm. Deag beat him to it, however, and unleashed another wave of Argent energy for disoriented everyone present. He hissed out in pain as he fused his arm back onto himself, using Argent energy on himself. His formerly severed arm made a fist as he fired another wave of Argent energy. William dove out of the way and the beam struck the stone door. The Mark of the Doom Slayer glowed red, the sound of gears was heard and the door slowly rolled downward into the ground to reveal the darkness behind it.

Deag grinned and sped right past William through the door, leaving him and Team C(F)VY to face an onslaught of Grimm drawn to the fighting. The Slayer was about to pursue when he saw Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi standing up against said onslaught. He didn't need to be convinced to either go after Deag Grav or stay to help Team C(F)VY even when Coco shouted at him, "Go after him, Blazkowicz! We'll hold the perimeter!"

"..." William did spare them a glance, though, before pursuing Deag through the stone door into the hallway beyond.

 **(END)**

 **(Underground Chamber)**

Ancient Vale ruins built on top of an even more ancient D'Nurian ruin, quite possibly a teleportation complex that was part of the D'Nurian multidimensional transportation system. Remnant was possibly one of hundreds of realms spared from Hell's invasion of Argent D'Nur when the Imperatrix ordered the interdimensional teleportation network dismantled, keeping Hell's invasion strictly to D'Nur. In Williams' mind that was how things were shaping, and it was too perfect an explanation as for how the Silver Eyed bloodline survived through Ruby. Her, and her mother, whoever she was.

Silver Eyes. The Beastkin. He thought they were only part of Argent D'Nur. Beastkin – _Faunus_ – especially. They had been part of the plagues the Old Gods of D'Nur had created to inflict misery upon humanity – until the Templar caste of the Night Sentinels – the Knights, the Fanatics, the Devout and the Ascendant - overthrew the Old Gods and subjugated their mortal Beastkin armies of old – with whips, clubs, gelding knives and stakes pounded up uppity rebel Beastkin asses and left to rot at the side of the road.

Humans and Beastkin to put it lightly they were _all_ dicks at the beginning of recorded history. And it took Hell walking up to D'Nur's doorstep to truly put that enmity to rest. It had too late, of course, and William was the only one left standing by the end.

Feeling the rage course through him he barely registered the automated lights running on emergency power flickering on as he traversed the staircase downward until he reached a corridor and kept running. He noticed a steel door at the far end slowly closing and he could briefly see Deag Grav before he warped of sight behind the door.

William grabbed the door just as it was about to close and lifted it back up, hard enough to break the mechanical gears within it. All those stuck doors back on Mars were made of harder stuff.

Emergency lighting barely lit what laid beyond the steel door, but William recognized D'Nurian aesthetics when he saw it.

"..."

 _ **++Tracing Deag Grav's Argent signature,++**_ VEGA updated William's HUD as he placed waypoints for him to follow. _**++He is going deeper into the facility, presumably for the teleportation pad**_ **you** _ **arrived on.++**_

"..." To open another portal to Hell. William drew his chainsaw.

Like he'd let _that_ happen.

(RWBY)

 **(Somewhere Unseen...)**

Covered in blood that splashed up at her with each step she took, Blake ran through the hall leading toward the throne room of the High Leader of the White Fang, her heart hammering against her chest when she the corpses of her former brothers and sister steadily piled up against the walls – shot, burnt, sliced and gibbed. Their blood had formed a small lake barely halfway up Blake's shoe. The screaming became louder the closer she reached the doors leading into the throne.

"No no no no no no..." she kept repeating to herself. "He wouldn't...!"

The doors were kicked open before she could reach it, and she blanched at her own father – Ghira Belladonna – sans his right arm and blood pouring down in torrents from the many wounds on his body. His left hand covered his right stump in a futile effort to staunch the bleeding as he stumbled forward, blood dribbling from his mouth when he grunted and collapsed on his knee.

"DAD!" Blake screamed. "NO!"

"Blake..." the giant, bearded man forced out. "You-"

Half of Ghira's skull became mist and sprayed all over Blake's face and chest, which caused her to stumble backward with her eyes closed. Wiping the blood from her eyes she didn't have time to process her father's death when she saw a hundred more White Fang corpses strewn about the throne room. And standing amidst them with his chains was none other than the Slayer

And William looked more primal, fiercer even with the way parts of his armor were missing around his arms to reveal his toned, scarred biceps, half-spike studs lining his gauntlets and boots. A smoke super shotgun was in his right hand. And impaled on the business end of the arm-blade extended from his left arm through her stomach...

"ILLIA!" Blake screamed, anguished. Drawing Gambol Shroud she charged at the Doom Slayer.

Her chameleon Faunus friend slowly turned her head toward her, blood dripping from her mouth, her brown hair matted with viscera and her hand stretched toward Blake, tears rolling down her cheeks from her brown-colored eyes as she stretched a hand toward Blake.

"B-Blake..." she struggled, pleadingly. "Help...me...ARGH-"

William promptly shoved his free hand into her wound and ripped her in half. Blake stretched her arms forward and caught her torso, which knocked her down on the ground. Horrified and disgusted to see Ilia's eyes roll back into her skull and her guts spill all over herself Blake shoved her body aside. She looked up, fearfully, to see William, his extendable blade still out as he trudged over the bodies toward her over. Blake scrambled on her hands and feet backward as fast as she could manage before standing back up...

"VRAARGKKK!"

...and a Possessed White Fang corpse reached up and grabbed her by the ankle, hard enough for bone to fracture. Crying out in pain she tried to pull her leg free, and was swamped by other Possessed White Fang that laid their hands on her, their nails tearing through her clothes and breaking skin as they held her, one of them grabbing her by the throat and forcing her to watch the slayer as he brought back his right fist and nailed her in the face, sending her and every Possessed corpse around them into the wall.

"...w...why...?" she croaked as she slid down onto the ground, feeling like _everything_ inside her was broken.

William reached down and grabbed Blake by the neck, lifting her up effortlessly into the air. She expected to see her own fear-stricken reflection in his visor. Instead she saw _Adam's._

And she heard Adam's screams as the Doom Slayer impaled her...

 **(Team RWBY's Room)  
(Beacon Academy, Vale)**

Blake was breathing hard when she opened her eyes, the sight of the ceiling alleviating her fears and reassuring her that it all had been a nightmare, that she was safe in her bed, with the rest of her team. Wiping the sweat from her brow she rolled to see the other members of Team RWBY sleeping peacefully. Reaching for her scroll she checked the clock: About an hour past sundown, and Ruby had suggested they turn in for the night early; all rested up for their official first day at Beacon Academy. No one argued, they had all been worn out by William's sadism disguised as 'training sessions'.

William. Blazkowicz. She dreamt he killed her. Killed her father. The entire White Fang. And she saw Adam's reflection instead of her own in his visor just as he was about to kill her.

"..." Blake shook her head. It won't come to that.

She would never let it.

And Ruby suddenly starting crying in her sleep, herself gripped by another nightmare and no Blazkowicz around for her to cling to like a big teddy bear for comfort.

"So much for an early night's rest," Blake muttered, resigned to missing half-a-night's sleep.

(RWBY)

 **(Underground...)**

William had absolutely no idea where the Argent trails left behind by Deag Grav were leading him. He was running through a series of darkened steel passageways, the lights barely lit from emergency power that was still running after eons, combat shotgun with Fire Dust shells loaded and ready to set the Hell Priest on fire the moment he saw him. And in these tight corridors he would hardly be able to miss. Or at least until the waypoint indicated by VEGA didn't lead him through an arch into large three-story circular chamber with balconies overlooking the stone teleportation pad in the center, surrounded by D'Nurian consoles and hologram projectors – all ancient in aesthetics yet more advanced than Remnant technology. The UAC had already begun reverse-engineering D'Nurian technology, and Atlas was following close behind if that message on that dead company rep was any proof, that there was another teleportation chamber like this somewhere in Atlas and it had already been opened and the SDC had already pillaged it.

Williams' goal was clear: Destroy the technology in this place, leave nothing for either the SDC or Deag Grav to get their hands on. Leaping off the balcony he engaged his Delta-V's before landing on the ground before the teleportation pad and the equipment that surrounded it. He raised his shotgun and aimed it at the machines, ready to put a buckshot through them and followed up by smashing the teleportation pad hard enough to deface the runes carved into it and render it inert.

Emergency power suddenly went out, and William stood in the dark.

"..."

He shut his eyes on instinct when full power was suddenly restored and the whole chamber lit up. The machinery activated, hologram emitters came to life and broadcasted a room-sized projection of the entire D'Nurian Multidimensional Transportation System. Hundreds upon hundreds of planets, all blinking red which indicated their systems were either down, or they had been consumed by Hell over millennia – leaving only Remnant, Mars and Earth as the only three worlds that were not blinking red.

So, it was true. Remnant had been part of the D'Nurian Empire. Same with Mars, and even Earth at one point.

 _ **++WANING, ARGENT SIGNATURE BELOW OUR POSITION!++**_ VEGA warned, urgently. _**++DEAG GRAV IS POWERING THIS FACILITY! HE HAS ACTIVATED THE TELEPORTATION PAD!++**_

The high-pitched shrieking of a Summoner could be heard from beneath them.

 **(One Floor Below...)**

Deag felt the voltage passed right through him as he gripped the facility's power generator and transferred the Hell energy radiating off himself into the machine, using his own body to power the entire facility and leave it open long for Hell to notice and send something through to finally kill that heathen Doom Slayer. The Hell Priest grinned painfully, with the Doom Slayer out of the way it would just leave that Silver-Eyed Maiden, that wretch Ozpin.

The Maiden, Ozpin and, Deag grimaced, the _Whore-Queen of the Grimm_ , the _Slut-Witch of Black..._

" _ **Remember your place, slave. You are no more wretched than**_ **She** _ **is."**_

Deag froze when he heard _His_ voice in his head, and for a moment he felt himself shake in fear at the thought of displeasing the Dark Lord himself, to possibly suffer a worse punishment than eons ago when the Baalgar blamed him for the coming of the Doom Slayer. It was for that reason why he had never been given the opportunity to ascend and take his place amongst the shadow lords.

" _ **We will bury Him in this hole. And YOU along with it if you fail me again."**_

He wasn't feeling scared after the Dark Lord's latest threat. The Summoner's face twisted into a scowl.

" _ **...ungrateful? UNGRATEFUL?! WHO ARE YOU TO CALL ME UNGRAT-?!"**_

Deag's howls drowned out the Dark Lord's voice in his head as he mentally reached into the abyss and willed something to come through and bring Hell with it.

" _ **Kill him. Kill him! KILL HIM! KILL THE DOOM SLAYER!"**_

And the Dark Lord bellowed angrily.

 **(One Floor Above...)**

The runs etched into the teleportation pad glowed crimson as it hummed to life, the consoles monitoring it frantically whirring and the holograms flashing red, _**VIGILO**_ _**INFERIS**_ plastered over every screen. Hell energy erupted from the teleportation pad, which sent William flying across the room. Boots skidding across the floor he grounded to a hall just before he hit the wall, drawing his shotgun and making his explosive shot mod was installed in time for a Baron of Hell to emerge out of the miasma of Hell energy and roared, fearlessly even, at the Doom Slayer.

The Baron looked like it had stepped right out a volcano. It looked like molten fire threatened to spill out from his ashen colored flesh, it's eyes and the inside of it's mouth glowed yellow. William's finger was already on the trigger as he charged the Baron, blowing a chunk of it's shoulder. Instead of flesh and blood, though, it was burning fire and the bone beneath it.

"..." the Slayer had to admit that this was something _new_.

The Baron roared again and extended flaming Hellblades from it's wrists, bellowing even loud in challenge toward William. His response was to lob an explosive shot it's way. It dodged to the side and the shot hit the teleportation machinery, the explosion big enough to rock the entire underground facility. William swerved to avoid it's first blow, it's fist creating a hole in the wall as it's Hellblade caused flame to jettison from the cracks.

CR~ACK!

William punched it hard in the face, causing molten _slag_ to splatter all over his gauntlet and chest-plate, thankfully not hot enough to burn through Hell-forged steel. The Baron rammed him right back, William raising his right arm to guard against it's Hellblade, knocking him flat on his back with scorch marks across his arm-plating. It didn't strike flesh but it still hurt like hell, something William was way used to. He rolled out of the way when the Baron leapt into the air and brought it's Hellblade's down toward him, the resulting detonation sending him flying up into the air.

William drew his super shotgun and fired, Fire Dust buckshot hitting it in the chest and face, which tore it's rock-like flesh off to reveal burning skeletal structure underneath. The Baron snarled and it's right Hellblade shone brilliantly for a split second before he hurled plasma at the Slayer. Not the usual green Hell energy but pure flame, powerful enough to blast a considerable chunk out of the wall and send William flying upward towards the second story balcony. William pulled himself up as the Baron lobbed another Argent projectile that demolished the part of the balcony, the railing and the supports.

 _ **++They are attempting to entomb you down here,++**_ VEGA stated _ **. ++This was-++**_

"A trap!" William grounded out as he drew his heavy assault rifle, missile rack at the ready as he ran toward the edge of the balcony to see the Baron of Hell leap up toward him, it's Hellblades becoming more intense in power. _'Don't I know about goddamn traps.'_ The Baron pulled itself up the balcony, and took a flying dropkick to the face, sending both over the edge and crashing into the teleportation pad.

William raised his leg and slammed his foot repeatedly into the Baron's face, hard enough to sever it's right horn from the side of it's head, molten slag splattered over his boots and onto his visor. The Baron opened it's mouth and caught the Slayer's foot in it's mouth, biting down hard enough as it turned it's head and slammed William into the floor beside it. William broke open his super shotgun, reached for his Lightning Dust shell and it was kicked out of his hands before he had the chance to reload.

The Slayer drew his pistol and shot it the right eye, blowing a chunk out of the right side of it's skull. He rolled backward onto his feet and drew his chainsaw. The Baron roared and swung it's right Hellblade at him, William countering with a dodge and one-handed upward slash that left a gaping wound vertically across it's chest...

 **(Surface)**

...around the same time Velvet pummeled a Beowolf to death with her box, holding with both hand and bringing it down repeatedly, proved more visceral, however. Tears welled in the Faunus' girl's eyes, having been given no time to come to terms with Fox's death, and couldn't help but mourn him in the middle of battle. Taking a moment to wipe her eyes a Creep came at her and she took it down with a roundhouse kill, putting her foot down on it's neck as she created a light copy of William's energy pistol. She held the trigger and fired off a charged shot that completely disintegrated the lizard-like Grimm.

She couldn't get it out of her head – the sight of Fox's dangling from midair at the end of a demon's energy blade...

"Velvet!" Yatsuhashi shouted, rousing her from her brief state of delirium. " _Focus_!"

"R-right..." Velvet gasped. Suddenly they all felt the tremors beneath the feet. "What was that?"

Coco's minigun almost ran dry once again, "Something Blazkowicz can deal with. Right now-" she paused to smack a Beowolf across the face with the barrel of her minigun. "...it's all about lasting longer than these sons of bitches!"

"..." Velvet noticed something shining past the trees in the nighttime. Her hair almost stood on end when she recognized what it was. "Death Stalker!"

Slicing tree in half and tossing them Team C(F)VY's way was a large scorpion-like Grimm – black underneath white-colored chitin and red markings with a yellow stinger at the end of it's large tail. Coco did a quick ammo check. She bit her lip when she saw she only had a quarter of an ammunition belt left.

"Coco," Yatsuhashi brandished his greatsword as he stood beside her. "Not out in the open. If we lure into the ruins-"

"We can box it in, yeah," Coco replied. She gritted her teeth, "Box it in...with _Fox_."

"Don't dwell on that now," Yatsuhashi added. "Move."

Team C(F)VY fled the tree line back towards the center of the ruins. With the amount of crumbling stone around it would keep the Death Stalker from reaching them with it's pincers and stinger so long as they kept moving from one rooftop to the other. And ignore Fox's corpse which was bound to be further defiled once the Death Stalker tread all over it.

If Fox's torso was _still_ there.

"W-what?!" Coco exclaimed.

"Fox..." Velvet uttered, in denial.

"..." Yatsuhashi kept his panic in check when he saw that only the bottom half of Fox's waist and legs were still lying on the ground. His torso _wasn't_. "Oh, no."

Coco shook her head, "No, no...this isn't happening! He...he can't be-!"

Several wet, bloody tendrils wrapped themselves wrapped themselves around Coco's throat and strangled her. Velvet almost puked when they saw they were the large and small intestines of Fox, the Possessed torso of the comrade standing up with it's arms from the top of the crumbling wall of one of the ruins, his milky white eyes now blazing crimson as the Hell energies linked the corpse to the demons controlling in from Hell. As if it's guts were on a pully and it was winding them backward, Coco was pulled back until it hit the wall and the torso dropped off the wall and landed on Coco.

" _ **RAARRGGGLE!"**_

It wrapped it's arms around her chest, opened it's mouth and sank it's teeth into her shoulder, piercing through her Aura and tearing through cloth into her flesh. Coco's screams were muffled by her being strangled, until Yatuhashi grabbed the Possessed torso's head and ripped it off Coco, tearing it's large intestines that were around it's throat, blood and pieces of intestine splattering all over. The Possessed torso shrieked uncontrollably as it tried to bite Yatsuhashi. Now angry, Yatsuhashi hurled the Possessed at the Death Stalker that approached, it's stinger bared.

 _ **DOOM II – DOOM (MAP 13)  
ANDREW HULSHLT**_

(0:38-)

The Possessed stretched it's arms forward as it landed on the Death Stalker. To Team C(F)VY's shock the Death Stalker was suddenly enveloped in Argent static as the torso released a burst of Hell energy that the Grimm absorbed into itself, flailing it's pincers in the air as the Possessed torso of Fox Alistair fused itself to it, it's entrails swallowed up by chitin. The end result: A Possessed/Death Stalker Demonic Chimera, Fox's bladed gauntlets setting themselves alight with Hell energy, his face twisted angrily. Fox's eyeballs popped out it's skull, the empty eye sockets glowing with Hell energy before it opened it's mouth and unleashed a roar that sounded like a mix of rage and anguish.

"...no," Coco mumbled, shaking her head in denial as if doing so would erase the horrible visage before her.

It didn't. The Possessed Death Stalker advanced on them, Fox's torso summoning two magical Argent circles in it's hands.

 **(Back Underground...)**

The Baron resembled a burning skeletal structure more than anything as William blasted another chunk of ashen flesh right off it, rolling to dodge another aerial strike. The fucker was persistent, the Slayer had to give it that.

 **++Another Argent signature detected on the surface,++** VEGA alerted him. **++It is engaging Team CFVY.++**

"..." William sighed, and bared his canines in a silent cry of might bas he the Baron, ramming into it hard enough to tackle it into the teleportation tech. He drew his super shotgun and blasted the console, the Argent energy feedback redirecting itself back to Deag Grav, the Summoner shrieking in pain as it felt it's own Hell energy burning it from the inside.

Desperate to rid himself of the Argent energy overload he expended it all in one screaming blast powerful enough to overload the facility's power system, which tore through the floor and the teleportation pad. The runes glowed fearsome as the pad cracked and released a wave of Argent energy that sent the Slayer flying backward, skidding across the ground and slamming against the wall. The Baron felt the excess Hell energy and, realizing that the Slayer was trying to bury it and Deag, roared in anger and aimed it's fireballs at the chambers and the ceiling, desperate to bring the whole structure down on William first.

 _ **++EVACUATE!++**_ VEGA had the words blaring over William's HUD in big red letters.

The Baron struggled to stand as it was enveloped in the Argent energy being released by the teleporter pad, roaring into the air as it overcharged it's Hellblade to the point the temperature in the chamber went up and the glare was enough to cause William to squint. Like a flaming torpedo the Baron lunged at the Slayer, and felt his boots crush it's head as William leapt up towards the third floor balcony, climbing back up just as roof of the chamber began to collapse. The Ashen Baron screamed one final time in rage before it was crushed underneath the ruins...

 **(Surface)**

...which didn't go unnoticed by Team C(F)VY as the vibrations underneath their feet grew more violent as they fought the Chimera, dodging it's pincers, it's tail and Hellbeams that _melted_ parts of the ruins, the Chimera catching them as it fell and hurling them at Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi. The swordsman one such missile to pieces, dodged the Chimera's pincers and struck the Death Stalker part of the Chimera between it's multiple eyes. Fox's Possessed torso growled and summoned a magical circle that generated a barrier. Yatsuhashi guarded himself with his blade in time to be hurled back, managing to stop himself from being engulfed and debilitated by Hell energy once again.

The Chimera converged on him, only for Velvet to step between them with a light copy of William's heavy assault rifle, her eyes through the scope and shooting out each of the it's eyes with precision. And she hesitated when she aimed at the Possessed torso, formerly her teammate. The Chimera swung it's pincer at her, Yatsuhashi quickly grabbing her and shielding her with his body as it struck, which sent the both of them flying and making impact against the wall.

The Chimera thrusted it's stinger at the two of them. Coco jumped in the way and batted it aside with her handbag. She leapt up onto it's right pincer and jumped right over the torso, transforming her handbag back into the minigun as she landed right behind it. As the torso tried to turn around as it summoned Hell energy into it's palm, Coco gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly as she held the trigger down and expended the last of her ammunition, at point blank range.

Fox's torso slumped forward, riddled with holes and arms hanging almost boneless. The Death Stalker collapsed onto the ground, seemingly defeated. The pain in Coco's shoulder faded as she felt go cold at the sight of her partner's no longer cognitive remains

" _ **GWWWKKKKKKK!"**_

The sound of spine cracking jolted Coco from her misery and she looked up to see Fox's head turn a full one-eighty degrees, his empty eyes sockets blazing more intensely. Coco would have cried out in shock if Fox's entrails didn't emerge from the Grimm carapace and wrap themselves around her arms and legs.

"ARGH...LET GO!" Coco exclaimed, again wrapped up in her dead partner's viscera.

"COCO!" Velvet cried. The Death Stalker suddenly got back up, it's stinger primed and ready to impale Coco through the back. "YATSUHASHI!"

Sword held high, Yatsuhashi charged the Chimera, it's pincers ready for him. Scoped assault rifle fire cut through the air and the Chimera's stinger was suddenly separated from the rest of it's tail, impaling itself into the Chimera's chitin right behind Coco. William rushing out of the ruins as Argent energy erupted from the ground in an explosion, sending rock, ruin and steel rocketing into the air. The Chimera was distracted long enough for Yatsuhashi to bring his heavy greatsword and split the Death Stalker's head in half, gritting his teeth enough to hurt as he threw his entire strength behind his strike.

Fox's torso cried out in pain, more so as Coco tore it's entrails off herself, tore the stinger out of the Death Stalker's hide and bashed it's head repeatedly with it, the wet sounds of bone cracking truly horrific to listen as it's skull smashed right into it's chest. The Chimera let out one last rattle and it's limbs flailed about before it became still, Coco falling off the Chimera's back and landing on her stomach, and didn't feel any sort of rush to get back up, turning on her side to watch as the Grimm disintegrated, leaving only Fox's bifurcated torso behind.

 _ **(END)**_

Fox Alistair was truly gone now. She barely reacted to Deag Grav's piercing, enraged bellowing as he was lifted up into the air by the eruption of Argent energy and was sent flying into the far, gradual distance like a screaming rocket and crashing back down toward Remnant, deeper into the forest of Vale.

"COCO!" Velvet cried. She ignored the heat her soul felt from the Hell energy that slowly began to fade, only to stop when she saw the Slayer running toward them. "WILLIAM!"

William slowed down when he reached Team C(F)VY, and quietly observed how pitiful they looked.

Yatsuhashi leaned on his sword, finally given the chance to process everything that has happened, "Blazkowicz...the demons, they-" he paused when William took his helmet off.

"..." William's focus was on Coco, and how she was just staring at Fox's body.

"...Fox...I'm sorry..." they heard Coco quietly repeated to herself. "I'm so...so sorry..."

William thought he had to say something.

"Adel...?"

Tearing her shades off Coco angrily turned on him in an instant, such fury on her face enough to unsettle Yatsuhashi and Velvet. "W-why didn't you-?" She yelled at him, not bothering to try and stifle her tears. "Your AI sensed this whole place was blanketed with that Argent crap and it couldn't even detect _one_ goddamn demon coming to fuck us from behind?"

 _ **++I was unable to detect Deag Grav's individual Argent signature,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++He masked himself within the Grimm and it's material disintegration**_.++

"William could only blink, taken back. That was new.

"You mean within the pieces of Grimm that were still _disintegrating_?!" Coco cried. "T-that's _twisted_! That's twisted and that's _wrong_!"

William looked embittered. "I know."

Yatsuhashi looked over at the massive hole in the ground that led to the now destroyed teleportation chamber beneath the ruins, "...this whole thing was a setup, wasn't it?"

"..." William's non-answer was all they needed.

Velvet sniffed and wiped her eyes, "Godsdammit...is this what demons have planned for us? For everyone?"

"Our bodies? Our very souls? Yatsuhashi shuddered, "To twist? Corrupt?"

"They want humanity dead," William's answer was simple.

"WHY?!" Velvet exclaimed. "What'd we ever do _them_?"

 _ **++WARNING: Massive Grimm activity detected, approaching out position,++**_ VEGA interjected.

"No shit," Coco snarled. "If we're lucky that big red light attracted _only_ just ALL the Grimm in Vale and not the whole continent!"

 _ **++Team CFVY to Bullhead-2, requesting immediate extraction.++**_

" _Negative, Team CFVY. Bingo on fuel, and aerial Grimm fast approaching,++_ came their bullhead pilot's panicked response. " _Rest of Vale's air support is occupied. I gotta hightail it outta here. You need to bunker down and wait until morning before we'll be able to extract you."_

No longer wallowing in misery Coco stood back up and turned to face her team, including the Doom Slayer. "Roger that," Coco acknowledged. "We'll hold out here. Just send us the first bullhead available."

" _Good luck. Out."_

Coco put her shades back on and looked back towards the ruin and the big hole in the ground, now determined to survive the night.. "You think those Atlas mooks brought more ammo with them?"

Velvet and Yatsuhashi looked equally eager to survive the next ten or so hours.

 _ **++One minute until Grimm contact.++**_

Wordlessly, William walked over toward Fox's torso and hefted it over his torso, trying to be as delicate as he could with the youth's remains. He and Team C(F)VY head into the ruins and toward the Atlas encampment.

It was going to be a long, long night.

And all the while none of them had noticed that all this time only other form of non-hostile life had been a solitary _raven_ watching from atop one of the ruined towers. Having gotten away before the Argent explosion and deciding it had seen enough it beat it's wings harder when it noticed the Nevermores heading in their direction...

 **(Next Morning)**

"...fuck me sideways..."

It was way past dawn when that same pilot flying the same bullhead looked below to see what appeared to be massive deforestation around the ruins. Deforestation combined with slash and burn, nothing but upturned tree, burnt vegetation and cinders. And one big godsdamn hole in the ground in the center of the ruins.

He touched down near the hole and what was left of the Atlasien encampment, and nearly had a fright when a Grimm griffon was punted into the side of the bullhead before it screamed in agony as it was hit by Fire Dust bullets. The pilot drew a handgun, backed into the cabin and opened the side door in time to see the griffon getting repeatedly stomped on by the Doom Slayer. He froze in terror as William turned to him.

"You got a bag?" William asked.

The pilot blinked, stupefied. "What? For what?"

William stood aside, letting him see Team C(F)VY – dirty, exhausted, and grieving. The source of their grief lying on a cot behind them, both halves of it. Yatsuhashi had taken the time to find Fox's bottom half.

The pilot covered his mouth, turned and threw up on the cabin floor.

(RWBY)

 **(Approaching Beacon Academy)**

The smoke rising from Beacon Academy could be seen as the bullhead approached the coast of Vale City. William punched the door control, the door opening to reveal students down below running to and fro up and down the main avenue, several with weapons equipped. As they made their descent they couldn't see anyone with any injuries. Team C(F)VY briefly glimpsed over at the sealed body bog carrying both halves of their deceased comrade before jumping out of the bullhead before it touched down, weapons already drawn.

"What's going on?" Velvet cried. She turned to a group of students congregating nearby and called out to them. "Hey!"

"TEAM CFVY'S BACK!" they heard someone shout as they approached the other students. "AND THE GRIMM MARINE!"

"Huh?!"

"WHERE THE HELL WERE THEY?!"

"For what?" Yatsuhashi replied

"What happened?!" Coco exclaimed.

"T-there was another demon attack!" one of the other student sobbed. "It...it tried to..."

William inhaled sharply. It had all been a fucking diversion. Hell knew about Ozpin being worried about the teleporter in those ruins and simply _waited_. If Deag Grav wasn't content trying to bury him alive it could at least get him away from Beacon long enough for another demon to get to the Fall Maiden.

Worried was plastered all over Team C(F)VY's face. None more pronounced than Velvet's "Was anyone hurt?"

The student rubbed her eyes and hiccupped, "Team RWBY jumped in to save everyone. That new first year, Ruby Rose I think that's her name, she...she was...!"

"Gods, no. What...WILLIAM?!"

William was already sprinting toward the academy, leaving everyone in the dust as a hundred horrible thoughts went through his head. And each one made him grit his teether even harder...

' _Goddammit!'_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _I swear with Fox's death this story has just become a lot darker._

 _Experimented with additional musical cues this chapter. And I'm taking influences from the works of a few certain dark fantasy/horror manga artists when it comes to the body horror._

 _A couple of references to Doom Eternal in this chapter: The Doom Slayer's new look, and the Baron of Hell with it's Argent energy blades. I wonder what the story behind the Baron of Hell's new look is going to be?_

 _A few things..._

 _I like to think the Doom Slayer is NOT nerfed in this fic. He's powerful but even he has limits – gameplay and lore-wise - and one has to consider that the characters in RWBY canon can pull off superhuman stunts that rival, and at time exceed, the Doom Slayer's own abilities in gameplay. With the Praetor suit, considering how Adam used his semblance to slice a giant robot in half, there would be enough power behind his strike to at least BARELY nick the Doom Slayer. Sure, he caught an infection afterward but I imagine getting a microscopic amount of Hell-forged armor in your bloodstream would do that and would even kill a normal human, and he got over that quickly enough._

 _Besides, the Doom Slayer has to have a challenge come his way once in a while, right?_

 _Doom Eternal. Rage 2. Cyberpunk 2077...2019 and 2020 are too far away. :(_


	17. Demon Seed V: GRVE Encounter

_**v.2**_

* * *

 **(Somewhere Unseen...)**

" _I expected better from you, Weiss."_

The blood ran into Weiss' left eye as she knelt before the Armor Gigas with her arm right arm around her chest, feeling like she had shattered half of her ribcage fighting the robotic armored knight. She missed a step, and here she was, her father's voice taunting her as she bled from a cut above her eyes and from her mouth as the SDC-design combat robot had her at her mercy.

"...no..." she wiped the crimson from her mouth. "I'm not...done yet..."

" _You remember our agreement: If you want to leave Atlas so badly you would have to prove it. And from what I'm seeing right in front of me-"_

Weiss clenched his teeth, crossed her fingers and summoned a glyph that shielded her from the Gigas as he it swung it's massive greatsword at her, shielding her but sending her skidding backward across the floor. Her ribs felt like they were digging into her organs but she pushed on, desperate to finally be free of her father's oppression. Summoning another glyph, she accelerated back towards the Gigas, landing a series of strikes where she seemingly phased out of existence as she avoided each of the Gigas blows up until a sharp pain in he left side o her rib cage caused her to cry out in pain as she fell down on one knee.

And that left her open for the Gigas to grab her by the throat, force her to drop Myrtlenaster as it hoisted her up before throwing her a yard away and she landed with a sickening thud, coughing up more blood. She thought she blacked out for a few second, she heard footsteps slowly walk toward her.

"Gigas-1, stand down."

She rolled over onto her back, and had to restrain a pained gasp when she saw her _father_ standing above her. Wearing his usual white business suit and tie and with that brand of smugness he always carried around with him.

"That'll do, Weiss," Jacques Schnee said, condescendingly.

Weiss gritted his teeth as she tried to push herself up, "I...I'm not..."

"You _are_ done," Jacques interjected, heatedly. "Now, we will hear no more talk of you leaving Atlas." He paused, taking a moment to thoroughly examine the state of her daughter, completely unmoved at the sight of his heir quite possibly on death's door. "You chose this, Weiss. You chose to follow your sister's example, and _here_ you are."

Weiss coughed up more blood, and responded to Jacques' patronizing with a sharp glare. Jacques' briefly appeared taken back by her quiet ferocity.

"Hmph...obviously I'll have to a lot firmer with you from now on," Jacques said, enough contempt in his voice to make Weiss shiver with the cold. He looked over his shoulder, "Come."

He stepped back to allow Weiss to see the two sets of glowing red eyes staring evilly at her from the darkness. Her heart stopped for a second when they stepped forward and revealed themselves in the moonlight. Weiss spluttered in disbelief when she saw they were _Imps_. Different from the ones she had fought – leather brown in appearance with red eyes and mouths, with spines on their backs and shoulders. Light blue collars were fastened around their necks, the same color as the vests whey wore that had the Schnee Dust Company logo on their backs.

"W-what is this?" Weiss cried in disbelief, immediately trying to push herself with her legs across the floor as far as she could away from her father, and from them. She looked up at him, pleadingly, "Father?!"

Jacques could only smile, "I wouldn't imagine your grandfather would approve of the deals I've struck to bring his company _this_ far. Then again, he always prided himself on being such a _good_ judge of character." He turned to his pet Imps. "Take her where she needs to be, out of my sight."

Weiss tried to scramble away as she desperately as she could manage in spit of her injuries, but felt their claws dig into the skin of her arm as they lifted her up so that her back wasn't touching the ground. All the while Weiss, terrified, screamed out denials as Jacques watched her, that smug look never leaving his face even when he saw that Weiss left a blood trail as she was dragged away.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Weiss screamed angrily. "THESE ARE MONSTERS! DEMONS! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!"

The doors into the keep were pushed open by the Imps, and she was dragged outside into the snow. The snow, and the ashes from the massive inferno that used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Atlas. A massive pillar of right light pierced the sky and had cut open a massive portal above the city. Airships dropped out of the sky in flames, the sounds barely loud enough to drown out the screams of men, women and children amidst gunfire and the bestial roars coming from the city as the demon sat upon them. Their arms, legs, torsos, head and the odd torso s lining the sides of the main superhighway on spikes, a literal river of blood flowing across white steel. The carnage so immense it could not be real, not when the last thing Weiss remembered was being woken up by Ruby crying in her sleep the night before their first _official_ day at Beacon Academy.

Her view of Remnant's broken moon was blocked by the snarling face of one of the Imps grabbing her and her gasp sounded like a whistle going off...

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed V:  
GRVE Encounter**

 _You ignore the pain that is inflicted upon your body, instead engraving the pain of others into your heart. That your mortal form no longer belongs to yourself, instead you live, and bleed, for humanity's sake. And you carry their pain with your on your path of perpetual torment, never stopping no matter where that path takes you._ **  
** _ **\- Corrax Entry 7:16**_

(RWBY)

"Good morning, Team RWBY! Time to get up!"

 **(Team RWBY's Room)  
(Beacon Academy, Vale)**

Weiss fell out of bed in a panic, landing at the feet of her team leader, Ruby Rose. She was already up and dressed in her school uniform, with a whistle in her mouth and a bright, happy smile on her face. A smile in spite of the night terrors that kept Weiss up for nearly half the night.

Yang and Blake shared the same sentiments, Yang rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed visibly fried, "Uhh...Ruby. What'd I say about that whistle?"

"To never use it, ever," Ruby cheerfully replied. "But since this is our first _official_ day at Beacon Academy, just once wouldn't hurt."

"...least' those who didn't get four to five hours of sleep the night before," Blake was facing the wall as she grumbled.

Ruby wasn't smiling now. "Huh? Oh!" She rubbed the back of her head anxiously, "Right, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you last night."

"I felt like you gave me a heart attack last night," Weiss stated, rubbing her back as she stood up. "You were screaming in your sleep. What kind of nightmares are you having?"

"...bad ones?" Ruby replied, unsure.

Yang yawned and stretched her arms, "Just 'bad', huh?"

"Really, _REALLY_ , bad," Ruby sheepishly added. "Ones involving blood, demons, friends and family being butchered-"

Weiss put a hand up, "Stop, please." The heiress rubbed her eyes, "Tell me I'm not the only who saw this coming?"

Yang shot her an indignant look, "Oh, having to cut former human beings in half before they can tear your larynx out doesn't give you nightmares?"

Weiss huffed, "I'm sure they would. It just means you're not measuring up to being a Huntress."

The brawler frowned, "You realize we're still talking about my sister, right?"

"H-hey, guys," Ruby grinned nervously. "Let's not, ok?"

"...fine," Yang snorted. "But seriously, Ruby..."

Blake rolled over in her bed so that she was facing Ruby, "Isn't horrific night terrors something you see _someone_ for?"

"What, you mean a shrink?" Yang said, disgusted. "We're really going _there_?"

Ruby tried to smile as reassuringly as she could, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm sure I'll get over..." Yang noticed Ruby's eyes and how far-distant they looked. "... _get used_ to the stuff that happens when fighting demons from Hell."

"I don't think that's how it works," Blake pointed. "I...hey, what time is it?"

Weiss gasped when she checked her watch, "Twenty minutes until classes start! We slept IN!"

 **(Team JNPR's Room)**

 _ **BLOOD! GUTS! RIP! TEAR! MURDER! RAGE! HATRED! VISCERA! VENGEANCE...**_

Already dressed in his uniform, Jaune was sitting on his bed and staring at his hand, and the way it was shaking as horrific memories of planetary-wide slaughter that weren't his replayed themselves in his head, going seemingly unnoticed by the rest of Team JNPR as they dressed themselves and happily chatted, or at lest Nora was happily chatting while Ren and Pyrrha looked sullen as they prepared for the day.

"...Ruby must've had one helluva bad dream, you guys," Nora pointed out. "I heard the screams from behind the door."

"We all did, Nora," Ren pointed out, tiredly. "I hardly got any sleep."

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the-" Nora held her tongue when Ren looked up at her from tying his shoelaces knowingly. "...uh...wrong thing to say?"

"At least you slept like a log last night," Pyrrha pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Nora smiled. "In spite of the screaming...and my own nightmares...and worrying about another demon attack that could come any time of any day." Her smile slowly evaporated as the color literally left her body. "...and the thought of being dragged into Hell..."

"NORA!" Ren exclaimed, loud enough to startle Pyrrha and cause Jaune to raise his head and clench his shaking hand into a fist.

"Anyways!" Nora chirped happily as if she hadn't almost bordered on having a mental breakdown. "First day of class, don't wanna be late!"

"LATE?!" Jaune stood up from the bed as he exclaimed. "What time is it?!"

 **(Team CRDL's Room)**

"Seventeen minutes 'till class starts."

Cardin grounded his teeth as he struggled to pull his pants up over his still tender-feeling leg, a bandage still covering his broken nose. Thanks to Aura his and his team's injuries had mostly healed just in time for today, they still felt sore. Sore, _and_ angry. "Well, 'cuse me for getting my leg broken by some prick wearing power armor," Cardin snapped right back at Dove.

Russell snorted, grunting in pain as he put his school jacket on, "And _who_ had the bright idea to pick on that Faunus when Blazkowicz was in the same hall?"

"Screw you."

"Screw _you_!"

Cardin made a face, "Cock."

Dove blinked, "Seriously?"

Russell shot back, "Sucker."

"The hell you just call me?"

"H-hey guys, let's just take a big step back, ok?" Sky put his hands up in a placating manner. "We're sore, we're pissed off and we all want to drown Blazkowicz in his blood-"

"And **shit** ," Cardin grumbled.

"... _and_ shit," Sky added. "That day that will. For now, let's just get through the next eight or so hours."

"And not do anything around Blakzowicz that'll piss him off," Dove said. "Like messing with Teams RWBY and JNPR."

"Ow!" Cardin cried when he felt his back crack as he stood up. "Fine. Don't know why that armored prick bothers with those losers anyway." He walked toward the door and tore it open, "Anyway, fuck him, let's get to clas-" He found himself bowled over when he stepped onto the hallway, letting out a angry cry of pain. Snarling he looked up at the people he had walked into and shouted, "HEY! WATCH WHERE THE FUCK I'M GOING YOU...you...?"

They were four older looking students – 3rd Years probably. Their leader was a tall young woman with short brown hair, olive-toned skin and hazel-colored eyes. Underneath her Huntress uniform her muscles appeared to be fairly developed enough that she would be a nightmare in hand to hand. Behind her was her team: A man with red-hair, green eyes and red tattoos running down the length of both arms barely hidden by the long sleeves of his shirt; another man with pale skin, no hair upon his head, no eyebrows with sharp-looking turquois and finally, another young woman whose eyes and red bandanna were hidden behind her dark bangs and was dressed head to toe in steel armor platelets.

"What were you saying, _pleb_?"

Gretchen Reinhart, Ronald Astermann, Vict Duvall and Eva Pioux of Team GRVE. Cardin found himself unable to say another word as a feeling of dread washed over him as the Third Year stared down at him, as if he were an insect and Gretchen looked ready to step on him at any given moment.

"Gretchen, we're wasting time," Vict declared. "Leave him for _Grimm Marine_ to finish off."

Cardin shivered at the mention of Blazkowicz.

Gretchen nodded, "Yeah. Let's go."

Team GRVE walked around Cardin and continued on down the hall, leaving Cardin to sigh loudly with relief. The other members of Team CRDL poked their heads of the door, watching them disappear around the corner.

"Um...Cardin?" Russell felt uneasy himself when addressed their team leader. "Who were those guys?"

"I-I-I don't know," Cardin replied, visibly shaken. "And I don't think I _wanna_ know!"

(RWBY)

 **(Headmaster's Office, Beacon Tower)**

" _...they killed themselves, Ozpin. They swallowed their own tongues before we could question them."_

It hadn't been a good morning for Ozpin. Team CFVY hadn't returned last night from escorting Blazkowicz to the border of Vacuo and news had come back that they had become stranded after being attacked by human opponents with heavy weapons at the ruins in Vale. Stranded deep within Grimm infested territory and they would have to survive the night before Vale could spare a bullhead to extract them.

Now, General Ironwood had called once again to tell them they had apprehended the students responsible for opening the portal in Atlas Academy. Third Year students and demon-worshipping occultists whose hellish paraphernalia had been discovered in their room after a whole week of random room searches. Surprisingly, the students – two girls and one boy – had surrendered without incident, only to be discovered dead in their cells come morning, Solitas Standard Time.

" _Has there been any word from Qrow? Any at all? It's been more than a week now."_

"No, nothing," Ozpin replied. "He's gone completely dark."

" _..."_

"Have you quarantined your prisoners' artifacts at least?"

Ironwood nodded, _"Word got to the council an hour ago and they want their spell books delivered to Epsilon. I've already filed an injunction."_ The bitterness in his voice can barely be missed. _"But knowing how the council is run-"_

Ozpin narrowed his eyes, "Don't risk it. _Burn_ them. Blame it on sabotage."

" _Right away,"_ Ironwood agreed. _"Any word from Leo?"_

"His investigation still ongoing. Mistral Council has been surprisingly helpful, in light of...events."

" _They don't want to risk more demons being summoned,"_ Ironwood said _. "Vacuo..."_

"Shade Academy is still being contested."

" _And the council is barring me from sending them reinforcements,"_ Ironwood said, angrily. _"ALL of them voted against sending help."_ He paused, _"But seeing has how Atlas will be responsible for security during the Vytal Festival, they won't object to the 34_ _th_ _and 57_ _th_ _Regiments transported by the 4_ _th_ _Fleet before the 2_ _nd_ _Term even begins."_

"You're on your way to Vale as we speak?"

" _Yes."_

"..." Ozpin sighed. "You have zero confidence in my abilities to root out the occult amongst my student body?"

" _Be reasonable, Ozpin. Vale's military has been underequipped ever since the Great War, you're personally undermanned and Blazkowicz is only one man-"_

Glynda snorted, letting both men remember that she was in the same as Ozpin was.

" _Speaking of whom, where is he? He should have returned back from those ruins by now."_

"Last night he and Team CFVY were attacked by an unknown human force," Ozpin answered. "Extraction wasn't due to the high concentration of Grimm so they had to survive the night and wait until the area was safe enough to send a bullhead."

Ironwood looked ready to bluster, he caught himself however and demanded, _"And you're not worried about losing Team CFVY?"_

"Not as long as Blazkowicz is with them, they should be fine," Ozpin voiced his confidence in the 2nd Year team's odds of survival. And on the subject of your being here in Vale some time before the Vytal Festival begins I trust there will be any conflict between your troops and Blakzowicz."

" _So long as he doesn't start inviting it."_

"...you never did tell me how you managed to apprehend the Doom Slayer in the first place."

" _I told you. We moved in on him right after he had finished slaughtering the Grimm he stumbled into after leaving the ruins in Vale-"_

Ozpin frowned, "And nothing would have stopped him from slaughtering you and your troops during your 'training mission.'"

" _..."_ Ironwood closed his eyes and sighed. _"He didn't, Ozpin. He dropped his weapons, put his fists and tried taking on at least thirty armed soldiers hand-to-hand, and he didn't put much effort into it either, his resistance seemed half-hearted at best. He punched out at least six men before we hit him with a dozen stun bolts and he didn't resist when we tore his helmet off and hit him with enough tranquilizer that could paralyze_ _two_ _Goliath."_

Glynda gaped and walked over to Ozpin's side where she could face the holoscreen. "He...he let _himself_ be captured?" The professor felt a bit disappointed at her own words. Somehow, it felt cheap that the Doom Slayer just up and surrendered to Atlas rather than kill or maim their soldiers. But then again, apart from the White Fang and those gangsters that had out-and-out tried to kill him, one must remember he's fighting Hell to stop them from exterminating humankind. And he wouldn't be much of a protector if he was indiscriminately killing humans. Humans _and_ Faunus.

" _..."_ Ironwood looked stoic. _"It can't be that simple. We can't be sure about his intentions-"_

"Or he absolutely refused to inflict harm on innocents," Ozpin argued. "You need to look past the armor, the guns and his attitude to see _what_ he stands for."

Ironwood shook his head, _"That's not good enough. He's still a danger to Remnant, and it would have been better if he had remained on ice."_

"Can we _please_ get back to the subject of demonic turncoats possibly masquerading as students here at Beacon?" Glynda snapped, unhappy that it had all come to this. "How are we supposed to draw them out without having to devolve into a full-blown inquisition?"

"We won't have to," Ozpin said. "We wait for _them_ to reveal themselves."

Shocked that Ozpin wasn't being proactive about rooting out the corruption in his own academy, Ironwood cried, _"What, When they attempt to make a move on either Autumn or the Relic? Ozpin, you can't-"_

"Let me finish," Ozpin said, taking a sip out of his coffee, that had grown rather lukewarm over the past hour. "The **voice** we heard in the amphitheater had been adamant about burning the eyes and the womb of Miss Rose..."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Lecture Hall 1A)**_

Five minutes before his first class was due to begin, Professor Peter Port hurriedly sorted through his notes before placing them on his desk, dividing them between the Creature of Grimm, and the Demons of Hell. The previous night he had decided to revise his opening speech to the first years, making sure to congratulate them on surviving Hell's onslaught on Beacon but thanking for them staying enrolled at Beacon in spite of the fact Hell was real, and was out to get them.

Hell. The prospect of fighting more of those demon spawn made Port feel giddy inside.

"Hmm?"

The portly gentleman's ruminating was interrupted by a MESSAGE RECEIVED chime on his scroll. Opening it, he inhaled deeply as he read it...

 _It's time to draw the misguided out. Be ready.  
\- OZPIN_

' _Brothers save us,'_ Port thought, looking down at his desk and pretending not to notice the students filing into the lecture hall and taking their seats, the teams sitting together, noticing Team RWBY sitting at the front row.

"Right...hmph..." Port cleared his throat. "First, I would like personally congratulate each and every one of you for remaining here at Beacon in light of... recent events." It felt strange not acting as bombastic as he had originally intended to. "What we fought a week ago wasn't anything like what we at Beacon were meant to prepare you all for. However, now and into the future, we intend to do just that. The Grimm, and these demons, have many names. At any time, they may return to wreak havoc upon this prestigious academy, on Vale, on the world even. But when that time comes we will be ready. And they will know their place as _prey."_

Port paused when he saw his students were definitely wide awake now. He smiled behind his moustache.

"Now, boys and girls, let us begin. Doubtless you've all been going over the creature files sent to your scrolls," Port continued. He noted that all references to Earth, Mars, the Union Aerospace Corporation and the more intricate nature of Hell has been omitted from said files; no need to overwhelm their young minds too soon, Ozpin had said. "We shall do a quick revision before proceeding with the class plan..."

Class was fairly monotonous in spite of the tense atmosphere brought about by the existence of demons. The glee that Ruby had radiated when she first woke everyone up had faded, leaving her to idly scribble on her paper as the rest of her team paid attention to the professor. Weiss frowned when she looked over her shoulder to see that she was drawing small crude illustrations of Blazkowicz and his weapons, looking forlorn all the while, a far cry from that excitable young girl eager to begin her first day at Beacon. Weiss knew she missed Blazkowicz, like one would miss a friend, or an older brother.

And that just made Weiss angry and frustrated, that their team leader was a child that suffered from bad dreams, with an attachment to a violent, gun-crazed sociopath. And she was passed over in favor of her. To her it was all joke. That she, Weiss Schnee, had studied and trained for years to be accepted into Beacon, and here she was playing second fiddle to a little girl with an attachment to a _monster._

Port droned on for some time, ending with him listing of the qualities that make the ideal Huntsman or Huntress or calling for someone to step forward.

Weiss did so, "I DO, SIR!"

(RWBY)

 **(Main Avenue)**

Glynda sighed and pushed her glasses back against the bridge of her nose, her head dipped as she tried to clear her mind. They were using Ms. Rose, and the rest of Team RWBY if they're unlucky enough, as bait to draw out the cultists hiding in Beacon. Ozpin seemed so sure that she would be their first target, and that compounded Glynda's initial doubts about letting her attend Beacon in the first place, since her life was now in danger. And her conscious was already weighing heavily upon her, she didn't need the prospect of having to imprison, or even kill, students or teachers that have thrown their lot in with Hell.

Hell. _Hell!_ The place was an actual, real place. Hell was real. The Demons were real. And they _hated_ humanity, perhaps even more so than _Her_.

 _Her_ being Salem.

"...ahhh..." Glynda hissed and pinched the bridge of her nose. _'Stop...just...just try to settle yourself...'_

As much as he was loathed to admit it, she wished Blazkowicz hadn't left.

" _ **KAW!"**_

Glynda sighed when she heard a familiar avian sound. She wished Blazkowicz hadn't left...just so _he_ can deal with Qrow Branwen instead of her. She heard two feet land right behind he, and she felt vehement.

"Hey, Glynda..."

"... _Qrow_ ," Glynda grounded out. She turned to face him, "Where have you...? Oh, _gods_..."

And there was the man himself, his clothes and dark hair were matted in blood and clutching his shattered left arm, his right eye closed from a wound across it, his left eye red and tired from a few days' worth of sleeplessness, the crimson in his eye dulled from pain and exhaustion. His weapon, Harbinger, was covered in crusted, dried lifeblood. All the while Qrow's smile was painful, the pentagram carved into his forehead looking painful.

"...Qrow?" Glynda found herself almost at a loss.

Still smiling, Qrow croaked, "...fuckin' demon bastards drained my flask..."

The Huntsman's strength gave out. Glynda managed to catch him in time, wincing as his blood ended up on her clothes. Struggling to lay him on the ground she grabbed her scroll and dialed Ozpin,

"OZPIN! I need help right now! It's Qrow, he's-"

" _Qrow?"_ came Ozpin's surprised response. "He's here?"

"GODSDAMNIT, JUST TELL THE INFIRMARY TO GET READY NOW...just..." Glynda cried, staring down at Qrow's broken form with quivering eyes. "Oh gods..."

(RWBY)

 **(Lecture Hall 1A)**

"Weiss!"

So, as it turned out, according to Professor Port, being the ideal Huntress involved fighting a live Boarbatusk in the classroom, and Weiss didn't appreciate Ruby calling out to her to strike it in its vulnerable underbelly. The way she stormed out of class once the bell rang and how she ignored the rest of her team was blunt indication her pride was in tatters. And being team leader Ruby thought she could reach out to her.

She turned to corner to see the heiress storm down the hall, "Hey, wait."

"What?!" Weiss rounded on her.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Weiss shot back. "You're supposed to be a leader. And all you've been so far is a nuisance."

Ruby would have fired back if Yang and Blake hadn't suddenly caught up to them.

"My sister's a _what_ now?" Yang asked dangerously.

Undaunted, Weiss said, "You can't stand there and tell me you're not just a little bothered that Ozpin made _her_ team leader?"

"As opposed to _you_ , I guess?" Blake countered snidely.

Weiss looked at them as if there was something wrong with them, "If we're going to survive another demonic attack on Beacon there needs to be someone willing to step up-"

"Yeah, like Ruby," Yang replied. "And so far, we're doing alright. We got through that first day and a week of William's quote unquote 'training'."

Weiss scoffed, "No, and it galls me to admit it's thanks to Blazkowicz we survived our first day here, and he's not always going to be around to save us. And that's another thing: you actually _trust_ that brute."

"Hey, don't talk about William that way!" Ruby exclaimed, enough heat in her tone to make Weiss step back. "What's wrong with him? He's my friend-"

"He's a _threat_ to everybody here! It's thanks to him to Grimm have been going berserk. Him and the demons that followed him to Remnant!"

Ruby looked like she was ready to cry and Yang gritted her teeth, while Blake appeared indifferent.

"...but you didn't want Atlas to take him away," Ruby weakly replied. "Remember?"

Weiss crossed her arms, "I was wrong."

Yang glared at her, "You don't mean that."

Weiss glared back, "I didn't come all the way from Atlas to get killed because my team leader refuses to grow up."

"...grow up?" Ruby muttered. She raised her head to look Weiss in the eye, angrily. "On our way to Vale we stopped by Marysville, and the church was filled with dead people." She sniffed, "There were kids there."

Yang swallowed, "Ruby..."

Blake nodded, "It's true."

"And the nightmares I've been having: My mom's in all of them, she's holding her eyes and her guts in her hands and I'm being dragged into... _where_ those monsters come from," Ruby continued, angry tears welling in her eyes. "I...the point is...I...ahhhhhh..." Ruby growled frustration. "What was I gonna say?"

"Ruby doesn't need to 'grow up,'" Yang cut in, glaring at Weiss. "If we didn't have her around keeping our spirits up we'd probably go insane." She narrowed her eyes knowingly at the heiress. "And don't tell me _you_ don't have nightmares?"

"...I..." Weiss shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. She turned to walk the other way, "I can't deal with. I-I need to be alone..."

"What? Weiss!" Yang cried. "Wait, I..."

"Let her be alone, Ruby," Blake grabbed her by the shoulder. "I think that's best for all of us at the moment."

"...right," Ruby nodded. She turned around and noticed past Blake's shoulder. Ruby dimmed her eyes in serious thought, _'What would William do if Weiss spoke to him like that?'_

 _ **(Ruby's Imagination)**_

" _..."_

 _SL~AP!_

" _AH!"_

 _ **(Real Life)**_

She gasped and shook her head, _'No, he wouldn't do that! He'd...be firm with her.'_

Past Blake's shoulder Ruby noticed someone, "OH!"

It was Professor Peach, having watched Team RWBY's argument from around the corner, "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Yang chuckled, "Well, we were arguing in the middle of the hallway, so...that's on us."

"Uh...yes," Peach stepped forward. "Beacon Academy doesn't expect every team to get along with each other right away. It'll take time to build that trust, and..." she breathed in, shakily. "...and with everything that is happening, you will all need one another more than ever."

Despondent, Ruby muttered, "Weiss doesn't seem to think so."

Peach looked apologetic, "I'm sorry. I imagine Professor Ozpin would be better with saying the right things to motivate you. I guess...all I can say is for you to give her time and she'll come around." She shrugged, "I mean she has to if any of you hope to survive what's to come."

Yang chuckled sardonically, "Gee, thanks _teach_."

Peach looked down at the ground, "Sorry."

Suddenly afraid she had heart the professor's feeling Yang said, "Hey, I didn't mean anything by-"

Peach smiled, "I know, I know. You have some time before your next class so make the best of it."

"We will," Blake replied. "Yang, Ruby?"

Ruby looked down the hall where Weiss walked off to and took off after her. "I...I need to go fix this."

"Ruby, wait..." Yang reached out to her but was stopped by Blake.

"Let them sort it out, otherwise Ruby's just going to agonize over it," Blake said. She rolled her eye and added, "And it'd be another thing for her to have nightmares over."

Yang's eyes widened, then she nodded, "Yeah."

Peach watched them disappear around the corner. She let out a sigh of relief, which was followed by a surprised gasp when she found Team GRVE standing behind her, all stoic. "Oh! Gretchen, Ronald, Vict, Eva. You weren't going out on assignment today."

Gretchen narrowed her eyes, and Peach was silent.

(RWBY)

 **(Infirmary)**

The doctor rinsed the blood off his arms when he finished hooking Qrow up to the IV and dressing his wounds, Ozpin and Glynda all the while had quietly watched him work, the end result being the Huntsman was stable, his shirt removed with his arms, chest and forehead covered in gauze. "I still think he would receive better care in a hospital."

"Qrow's stronger than he looks, doctor," Ozpin said, confident. "And we need to hear what he has to say."

The doctor frowned, "With all due respect, professor, with the number of painkillers I used to put him under I doubt he'll be able to tell you anything intelligible for a while."

"They haven't kicked in yet," Qrow grounded out. "And you don't want to be around to hear this. Might make you soil yourself."

"I beg your-"

Ozpin was firm, "Doctor, please. Five minutes alone."

"...five minutes," the doctor repeated before stepping out of the room.

Qrow smirked painfully, "So you got my text? Wish I could've been here when those demons fucks first showed their ugly faces. Would've saved em' the trouble getting' their claws on me in Mistral."

"You were in Mistral?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah, following a lead. I arrived at Haven at least six hours after the attack happened, just in time to see the funeral pyres," Qrow said. "Leo told me about the demons that escaped the academy ground. Volunteered myself to go hunting..." He closed his eyes and shuddered. "It...things went to shit pretty fast."

"Go on."

"Me and few other Huntsmen tracked em' to a village. By the time we caught up to them it was Hell on Remnant," Qrow's tone became morose. "I've things I saw, it was pure evil." He glared straight at Ozpin. "Those _things_ are pure evil, nothing like what _She's_ being cooking up." He sighed and shook his head, "Anyways, I got careless, and didn't catch the fireball that hit me in the face, winding me long enough for them to pile on top. Fuck me, I guess."

"...gods," Glynda muttered.

"Next thing I know I wake up strapped to a makeshift altar, naked, and those things carving runes into my arms and head and I'm surrounded by _corpses._ They were piling up bodies and creating these..."

"Gore Pits?" Ozpin asked. "Which they use to create interdimensional links to Hell-"

"Yeah, Leo showed me that corporate codex you forwarded him!" Qrow snapped. "Provided by your new friends, right?"

"Blazkowicz and VEGA, yes," Glynda replied. "They-"

"YOU brought into the fold and had to tell em' about the Maidens," Qrow was angry now. "We're talking about an _ancient_ Silver Eyed Warrior here. For all we know he's probably one of the first, pre-dating Remnant history. And you want to _control_ someone like him?"

"Not control, merely _direct_."

"Yeah, _direct_ him toward the enemy and then stay the fuck out of his way. What's stopping that angry son of a bitch from taking the lift down to the Vault and shooting Autumn in the head?" He raised his tone when Ozpin tried to interrupt him. "Shooting ALL of them in head?"

"The possibility of Autumn's power being transferred to her attacker for one," Ozpin responded. "And Blazkowicz is not one to kill without reason."

"If it meant keeping the women out of Salem or Hell's claws, _that's_ a pretty good reason," Qrow countered. "Where he is, by the way?"

"I sent him to the Vacuo border under escort to aid in the liberation of Shade Academy," Ozpin answered. "Due to unforeseen circumstances he didn't arrive. Instead, he and Team CFVY are probably on their way back here."

"Oh, that's great, just gre... _shit_ , the painkillers are kickin' in."

"You were telling us about how you managed to escape."

"Barely," Qrow answered, his voice slurred a bit from the meds. "Got myself loose from their alter, got my hands around Harbinger and slaughtered the hell out of anything non-human in my way. Killing one of the big ones too, and I didn't stop runnin', flyin', runnin' some more and finally glidin' the rest of the way here..."

"For a whole week?" Qrow nodded. "Why didn't you go back to Haven?"

Qrow sighed in relief when the pain began to faide. "You need all the help you can get, Ozpin. Jimmy's on his way here, right?"

"Earlier then intended," Ozpin replied. "Atlas had already pledged to provide security-"

Qrow scoffed mockingly, "For the Vytal Festival? Come off it, Oz. That's not going to happen. Demons still running loose in Mistral and Vacuo, martial law being declared in Atlas and Vale's being painted a big fat, red target on it's back with a Maiden and the Relic in the same place." Qrow felt himself begin to conk out, "Ah...and the people after Autumn..."

"They will have to adjust their own plans in light of the demonic incursions," Ozpin pointed out.

"And the Grimm Marine? You've got some kind of counter against him? If it comes to it, you _can_ take him, right"

"..." Ozpin was silent. Glynda shook her head and rubbed forehead.

"...fuck me," Qrow groaned. He blinked when he managed to recall something else through a haze of painkillers. "Oh...shit..."

"What is it?"

"The occultic bastards that opened those portals to Hell in the first place-"

"We're in the process of drawing them out right now," Ozpin said.

"Great, wonderful. How?" Qrow groused. "Don't suppose it involves wasting valuable time vetting each student, asking where they were on the day the portals opened, room searches-"

"Hell is not interested in just the Maidens and the Relics, but in the silver eyes," Ozpin explained. "And those in particular belonging to-"

"No!" Qrow came to the right conclusion in a heartbeat, quickly sitting back up and brushing off the effects of the painkillers. "You're using Ruby as bait?"

"We're keeping a close eye on her. We know what we are doing, Qrow," Glynda said. "And this is the only way to draw any traitors out without disrupting the school under further."

Qrow grunted as he tried to swing his legs off the bed, " _I_ can keep an eye out for my own nieces, I'll...AH!" The wounds on his arms underneath the gauze began to bleed again as Ozpin stepped aside for the doctor and a couple of nurses to walk in and lay their hands on Qrow. "HEY, hands off!"

"Rest, Qrow," Ozpin said as Qrow was forced back onto the bed. "Ruby and her teammates will walk away from this alive, and experienced in fighting the misguided."

"YOU _ASSHOLE_ , this is going too far and you godsdamn know it!" Qrow shouted at them as they left the infirmary. "OZPIN! GLYNDA!"

The drugs fully kicked in, leaving Qrow with tunnel vision.

Followed by silence.

(RWBY)

 **(Rooftop)**

"Weiss."

Exasperated, Weiss groaned and closed her eyes tight when she heard Ruby step onto the roof and call out to her, albeit a lot calmer this time. "I said I wanted to be alone," she declared.

Ruby breathed in and rubbed her arm, "Yeah, I know." She remembered she was supposed to be like William: To be _firm_. She straightened her back and declared, "And I want to settle this."

Weiss shook her head, "'Settle this?'" She turned around, bemused, "And how you propose we-?"

Ruby suddenly drew Crescent Rose, causing Weiss to suck in a breath in panic, "We _duel_."

"Duel?"

"Yep."

"Are you insane? Are you trying to get us both in trouble!?" Weiss shouted. "Team leadership isn't decided by combat-!"

"Yeah I know," Ruby replied, cheerfully. "But as team leader that's how _I_ run things." Her smile unnerved Weiss. "Unless you think you can better?"

Weiss sputtered as she tripped over her own words. Did Ruby's mind snap or something?

"I...this is...have you gone completely-?!"

Ruby's smile became cheeky, "Unless you're too chicken."

"..." Weiss glared at her and drew Myrtlenaster. "Let's go..."

"First one to land a hit wins."

"Like _you_ will!"

"That's the spirit! YAAAH!"

Both girls rushed one another across the roof, avoiding the benches with their weapons primed to strike. Only to each noticed four other darkened shadows come at them with their own weapons drawn. Weiss gasped, and she summoned four protection glyphs that surrounded both herself and Ruby, deflecting their attackers' blades and knocking the both of them toward the edge of the building.

Ruby and Weiss were alarmed to see a team of older students staring them down, 3rd Years most likely. Their leader stepped forward. her spike-syringe gauntlets looking particularly tasty and the sight of them gave Ruby the shivers.

Gretchen smiled, "Fighting outside scheduled duels aren't allowed, freshmen."

"Yeah we know," Ruby said. "We we're just settling things." She smiled, nervously. "You won't tell Professor Ozpin, right?"

"Don't worry..."

Ronald turned and slammed the door to the staircase and punching the keypad hard enough to break it.

"...that's the last thing that'll come to his mind."

Weiss panicked, but kept up a stoic mask as best as you should, "What is the meaning of this?"

Eva glowered, "Silver Eyes?"

Ruby gulped, "Uh...yes?"

" _ **Miserum est!"**_ Gretchen snarled. Syringe-blades extended from her gauntlets and they automatically filled themselves with liquid Lightning Dust as she declared, "Too bad the Doom Slayer's not here to see you _die_. _**MORERIS!**_ "

'Oh, my...' Weiss pupils diluted in fear. '

'' _Miserem'? 'Moreris?' What language is that? Demon-speak?'_ Ruby thought, shivering a bit at how evil those words sounded. _'What are they...EKK!'_

Ruby drew Crescent Rose on instinct in time to guard against Gretchen's syringe-gauntlets, countering with a swing that she bent over backward to avoid, which she followed up by raising her left foot upward at Ruby's head which balancing herself off the ground with her right hand. Ruby felt Gretchen's foot brush against her nose as she backflipped to avoid her blow.

"RUBY!" Weiss exclaimed.

' _Crud...she's fast!'_ Ruby bit her lip. _'They're Third Years, of course they would be.'_ The other members of Team GRVE drew their own weapons: Ronald drew a kusarigama, the sickle with a vial of Fire Dust inserted into the back; Vict with a mechanical-looking katana with a revolver-chamber filled with various Dust capsules and Eva with her duel hooksword/micro-submachinegun combo.

Ruby quaked a bit in her shoes when she realized she and Weiss were alone against an entire team of demon-worshipping 3rd Years. She shook her head and tried to make the glare she directed at them as intimidating as she could manage. "It was you, wasn't it? You summoned those demons with your...demon-y magic!"

"'Demon-y', she says," Vict chuckled darkly. He growled, "Pathe _tic_. Hell's really afraid of you silver-eyed mutants?"

" _You're_ the pathetic ones here!" Weiss exclaimed as she raised Myrtlenaster. "You're _traitors_! You worship demons, you-!"

"HUSH, RICH GIRL!"

Ronald sped forward, his chain-weapon on his fire, He appeared in midair above Weiss and swung his chain's weighted ball toward Weiss' head. Weiss gasped and ducked out of the way, only to find herself in Eva's crosshairs and dodging fully automatic gunfire, her Aura catching a least a dozen bullets before she had the chance to summon a shield glyph.

And she was nearly blindsided by Vict and his mechanical katana. She parried his swing with Myrtlenaster, which left him open for her to strike him several times in the chest and head. His Aura held, and when Weiss went to strike him in the he opened he grinned, opened his mouth and caught the tip of her rapier with his teeth. Something the heiress wasn't prepared for.

"Wha- _OFFFF_!"

And held her long enough for Ronald to swing his kusarigami's ball into her chest and send her flying toward the wall next to the door and knocking her unconscious.

"WEISS!" Ruby cried. She tried to run toward her but was blocked by Gretchen and her syringe-gauntlets.

And her twisted smile, "This is _your_ show, remember?"

"Out of my way!" Ruby exclaimed, brandishing her scythe. "Or-"

"You'll hurt me?" Gretchen cracked her knuckles. "Just a heads up if you want to prolong the pain: _I_ won't be able to feel any." She stretched her arms out wide, "Take your best sh-"

Ruby didn't wait for her to finish before she sliced her across the chest. Gretchen's Aura held, but there wasn't any evidence that she felt any pain, which left Ruby agape. Gretchen lunged for her, swinging a right hook where her syringe-blades pierced through her Aura and injected the Lightning Dust into her vein. Ruby panicked when she felt the liquid Dust enter her system before she felt her entire body convulse as what felt like a massive electric shock circulate through her and knocked her on the ground, her body wreathed with electricity.

Ruby coughed as he tried to get back up but felt Vict's foot on her chest pin her to the ground. Eva pulled out a combat knife and crouched over her. Gretchen stood above them, Ronald right beside her. She felt her vision blur and she still had enough strength to force out one word.

"…why?"

"The lords said to cut out the heathen's eyes and womb out," Gretchen said. "But not in any particular order. Cut her womb first, that way she can see us _burn_ it!"

Ruby shook in silent fear as the point of Eva's knife grazed her stomach, and Team GRVE's heads shot toward the roof staircase door as it was blown off it's hinges.

"Wha-?!"

Professor Port stepped onto the roof, a smoking blunderbuss-axe in his hands.

"...shit," Gretchen muttered. "Too soon."

"Shame, Ms. Reinhard. Such a shame," Port lamented. "To think one as bright as you-"

Gretchen roared, leveled her gauntlets at Port and fired her syringe-blade at the Professor. They were frozen in midair courtesy of Glynda's telekinesis, the Professor emerging from behind Port, riding crop in hand. Team GRVE turned their attention away from Ruby as they prepared themselves to fight their own teachers.

"As Professor Port was saying..."

Eva cried out in panic and they spun around to find none other than Professor Ozpin standing on the balcony fence, can in hand and his shadow cast over Ruby.

"I never imagined you would act so callous toward the people you had sworn to protect," Ozpin stated.

Gretchen snorted, "And where the hell were _they_ when we nearly died out there?"

She, of course, referred to Team GRVE's first training mission at Beacon. It had been a cluster, but somehow, they had survived and returned, albeit with plenty of wounds and trauma between them. Right there and then, Ozpin suspected _whom_ might have been behind their survival against such insurmountable odds that a team of trainee Huntsmen and Huntresses would have fallen to.

"That mission was a mistake," Ozpin countered. He never imagined it would have been cultists that were the ones to save Gretchen and her team. "I never meant to-"

"YOU SENT US TO DIE"Gretchen screamed in rage. _**"AD INFERIS APUD VOS,**_ _YOU ARROGANT FUCK_ _ **!"**_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _This chapter was getting too long and I wanted to update before October ended so, here you go. It would appear Gretchen Reinhard, sister of a certain other Reinhard, didn't die before the start of the story after all._

 _...I am so looking forward to writing Jacques' first meeting with the Doom Slayer. Him, Cinder, Raven, Salem and plenty of other characters that I'm not afraid to admit that piss me off._

 _Welp, the Goblin Slayer anime is out. And seeing the titular character and Priestess together reminds me of the Doom Slayer and Ruby. Fitting really, as I'm writing William to be the mentor type to Ruby._

 _I've been watching Doom Eternal gameplay again and I just noticed that the super shotgun looks like a D'Nur one, what with the Mark of the Doom Slayer and the Latin inscribed on it. Bethesda did say the super shotgun is the Doom Slayer 'Excalibur', so there that. There's an article on Reddit about it, and it's got me wondering how big a role Argent D'Nur is going to have in the sequel, and much of this Flashback/Lore sections I'll have to rewrite once it's set in stone what the D'Nur civilization was really like._

 _To_ _ **AWE**_ _: I'm not bringing Fox Alistair back, if that's what you're waiting for me to address. When someone dies in this fic they stay dead. The works of George R.R. Martin, Hajime Isayama, Robert Kirkman and Takahiro have taught me as much._

 _I intend to change the fates/direction of several characters over the course of this fic. I hope this clears things up._

 _...you know, I didn't want to make a big deal over this fic getting over a 1,000 Followers, but since it's my first fic to ever get over a 1,000 Followers, something I never imagined would ever happen, I just want to say thank you to everyone for your support. And I hope this fic continues to remain a good read._

 _This fic now has a TV Tropes page. ^_^_


	18. Demon Seed VI: A Study In Pain

_**v.2**_

* * *

 _ **(Abandoned Residential Sector Expansion, Mountain Glenn)  
(Vale)**_

 _ **(Two Years Ago...)**_

Seventeen-year-old Gretchen Rainhart tore chunks of blackened meat with each punch of her bladed-gauntlets as she pummeled a Beowolf into the ground, not registering another Beowolf slashing her across the back which wore her Aura to its limits, Gretchen smashing it's face in with an elbow strike. She resumed beating the other Beowolf until there was nothing left of its head save a skull riddled with holes.

"GRETCHEN, HELP ME! I CAN'T STOP THE BLEEDING!"

"Eva!" Gretchen cried.

She turned around to see Eva, panicking as she tried to tie a tourniquet around the stump that used to be the left leg of the Huntsman that had accompanied them, Professor Byron. The Beacon Academy professor's gasped as he went into shock, his skin had gone pale and his black hair looked like it was slowly falling off his head from the trauma he was experiencing. Tears welled in Eva's eyes as she fumbled the tourniquet for the 2nd time.

Gretchen sprinted toward her teammate and her professor. An Ursa tore it's way out the second story wall of a high-rise building and threw itself toward her. Only for it to be sat on fire and torn to bloody shreds, Ronald landing beside Eva, his fiery kusarigama in hand. Vict and his katana, powered by Ice Dust that froze the Grimm the instant the blade nicked them, and kick their heads that shattered on the ground or against the wall.

"WE HAVE TO MOVE, NOW!" Ronald shouted, driving the hook of his weapon into another Grim and disemboweling it. "GRETCHEN!"

"Just keep them back!' Gretchen ordered. "Eva, Vict, help me lift him up."

Gretchen, Eva and Vict picked up their professor and moved him toward the nearest abandoned building, Ronald keeping the Grimm at bay with his flaming kusarigama. Retreating inside the structure they moved toward the back room, the professor leaving a trail of blood that dripped from his stump. Once inside they barricaded the door with all the abandoned furniture they could get their hands on.

And the Grimm were against the door in a heartbeat. Team GRVE kept silent and hoped the Grimm would lose interest.

"Can we send a SOS out," Gretchen whispered.

"No signal," Roland replied hurriedly as he fiddled with his scroll. "What, these buildings lined with lead or something?"

"G-guys," Eva swallowed as he felt Professor Byron's neck. "I'm not feeling a pulse."

The Huntsmen and Huntresses-In-Training all crowded around the huntsman's corpse. They all looked panicked and distraught, Gretchen most of all. Then the Grimm threw themselves even harder against the door, knowing they were trapped in there with a corpse. For Team GRVE it looked to be the end. And it was supposed to have been a training exercise. Gretchen felt herself choking up when she remembered she was supposed to be the team leader, and now they were about to torn to shreds by a horde of Grimm.

Gretchen whimpered. _'Help me. Someone...anyone... please help me. I don't want to die,'_ Gretchen thought she was about to lose her mind from the terror she felt. _'Ozpin, Hazel... I don't want to die, I don't want my teammates to die...'_ Tears rolled down her cheeks as the Grimm got closer. _'Please...someone...anyone...'_

She closed her eyes.

' _Help me.'_

Heartbeat. Followed by silence. Then...

 _ **BEASTS SCREAMING IN TORMENT LIKE THEY WERE SAT ON FIRE, INTENSE ENOUGH TO BLOW THE DOOR OUTWARD, CRIMSON LIGHT BATHING THE ROOM. TEAM GRVE STARES INTO THE MOUTH OF HELL ITSELF!**_

...then silence again. And a darkened silhouette standing in the doorway, eyes glowing crimson as his blackish Aura settled back into his body. Stepping forward into the light, the figure revealed himself to a middle-aged man with silvery-grey hair and grey-colored eyes wearing makeshift armor consisting of a leather shoulder-pad over a worn black flak jacket, pants and boots.

And in his hands was a what appeared to be weapon made of a spine and rib bones with combined with a laser rifle, a pentagram inscribed upon on.

Vict blinked at the monstrosity of a gun before he pointed at it and exclaimed, "What the fuck is that!?"

The man smiled and hefted his weapon over his shoulder, "I call this one-of-a-kind beauty the _Unmaker_. And it just saved your collective Beacon asses." He wasn't smiling when he pointed to the professor, "I think your teacher's dead."

"Yeah, no shit," Vict fired back, looking over his shoulder to see Eva closing Professor Byron's eyes. "This was supposed to be a training mission-"

"Give to you personally by the renowned Professor Ozpin, correct?" the man asked.

Gretchen blinked, "How...did you know?"

"I'm familiar with the man, believe me," the man replied. "Now, you want to talk about this someplace more secure? Rest of my flock is hold up on the tenth floor in the high-rise down the street."

Gretchen turned to her team, seeing how worn each of them looked. She turned back to the man and nodded. The man smiled and stepped aside, revealing the line of dead Grimm disintegrating outside the room.

"After you."

 _ **(Abandoned Highrise Hotel)**_

"Heresiarch!"

Team GRVE looked nervous once they stepped through the front doors of the hotel and were greeted by a dozen heavily armed men and women, some of them Faunus, wearing armor over winter clothing, the loudest of them referring to the middle-aged man by that title. Vict took out his scroll, opened the Dictionary app and looked for the definition of...

 **Heresiarch**

noun

the founder of a heresy or the leader of a heretical sect.

Vict gulped, "Oh, shit..."

"A cult," Roland nodded, nervously. "Of course."

Eva grabbed hold of Gretchen's arm protectively, "G-Gretchen..."

"..." Gretchen looked ready to keel over from fright. Out of the fright pan, and into the sacrificial fire.

The Heresiarch called out, "My brothers and sisters, I brought us some guests. Poor souls laid low by the Whore Queen's bastard children. Treat em' right."

"Whore Queen?" Gretchen muttered. She nearly gasped with fright when the Heresiarch put an around her shoulder. "...hey...!"

"I know your buddy just looked up 'Heresiarch' but I assure you: You got nothing to fear from us," the Heresiarch treated her like she were a friend as they walked past the gathering of cultists through the hotel lobby and up the faded yet opulent looking stairs. "Well...not yet at least."

"Yet?" Gretchen looked over her shoulder to see her team followed behind her, under the watchful eye of the cultists.

"Time's a changing, little huntress," the Heresiarch explained. "Armies are gathering, battle lines are being drawn, faith's the one thing we must cling to if we want to survive, and sister." He turned around to face her, now gripping her by her shoulder. "You'll find Ozpin's side is not the kind you want to stand beside once the proverbial shit hits the fan." He dimmed his eyes knowingly, "I mean, he sent you your team out here , didn't he?"

"It...it was meant to be part of our training," Gretchen replied weakly. "Familiarize ourselves with light skirmishing-"

"Sink or swim, that's how he does things," the Heresiarch growled. "The old man's forgotten not everyone's as special as he thinks he is." He paused, "How do I know this? Years ago, I was enlightened, just like how're you're being enlightened now."

"Hey, we're not-!" Roland shouted. Eva's hand covered his mouth and he mumbled into it.

"I mean, we're fighting for our survival out here, not against the Grimm but against the 'people' who think they know better than we do, they think they're doing what's best for the human race," the Heresiarch said. "I've been travellin' around the kingdoms for a long time, and lemme' tell you: They do NOT. Repeat: Do not know what we need, what we want."

"..." Gretchen didn't say a word as the Heresiarch led her.

"I mean there's people still hating, still hurting one another on account of having a pair of extra hairs on their head. I mean, we all bleed the same. It's just ridiculous," the Heresiarch eyed her pointedly. "Don't you think."

Gretchen nodded. The Heresiarch smiled and patted her roughly on the back. He kicked the doors leading into the hotel's massive dining area. All lit up by a hundred candles, the light reflecting off the pentagram painted in blood. Blood from the fresh corpses strewn about the room. Team GRVE were herded into the room by the cult as they gathered around the evil sign.

"Oh, gods..." Eva covered her mouth.

"They can't hear you, missy," the Heresiarch called back at her. "They left. And one of em' took the moon with him when he ran away like a coward." He growled, "Couldn't blame em', though. Not if _He_ sets foot on Remnant."

The Doom Slayer versus the Brothers of Light and Dark. What a battle that would have been. It would have been Argent D'Nur throwing off the shackles of their pantheon all over again. But the Heresiarch was getting ahead of himself.

"Who?" Gretchen was overwhelmed now. "Who? W-what?"

"You hold no prejudice, right?" the Heresiarch asked her. "Between humans and Faunus? That we all do whatever it takes to survive? That when the time comes to make those who want to jerk humanity around pay, we all do it together?" He sounded like he was pleading now. "Right?"

"...right," Gretchen replied.

The Heresiarch smiled

"Right, bring em' out. _**SACRIFICIUM**_!"

" _ **SACRIFICIUM! SACRIFICIUM! SACRIFICIUM!"**_ the cult cheered.

Gretchen turned around to see two more cultists emerge, shoving two other people forward toward the circle – a woman with long-brown hair and a man with short teal hair. The two of them were badly beaten, bruises marring both their faces and the man appeared to have a broken left arm and their clothes were torn and stained with blood. Vict, Eva and Ronald recoiled at their appearance. Their team leader didn't react, though.

"Who are _they_?" she asked.

The Heresiarch frowned, "On our way to Vale, these two and all these other pricks thought it was a brilliant idea to open fire at the brothers that were Faunus. We killed nearly all of them, except for these two who ran." He walked toward them. "They didn't get far."

The woman coughed blood and groaned something inaudible. The cult leader grabbed her by the throat and forced her to look up at him. "...please..." she spoke a little louder.

"Please _what_?" the cult leader gripped her throat tighter.

"I want to go home," she sobbed. "Please..."

"We're sorry! We won't bother the Faunus no more," the man cried. "Please...don't hurt us..."

"If I recall, you called us all 'freaks' while you were pinning us down with small-arms fire," the cult leader said, letting go of the woman's throat. "And that was some pretty strong conviction behind your ignorance." His face scrunched up with distaste, "And now, here you are, thinking you'd say 'sorry' and we'll just all just forget about it."

"Hey, c-come on man," the man stuttered. "If we had knew what kind of people you were we wouldn't have-"

"Oh?" the Heresiarch smirked. "And just what kind of people are we?"

"...religious?"

The entire cult burst into laughter.

"And just what kind of religion were you thinking of?"

The woman gritted her teeth, eyeing the Faunus cultists with hatred and she spat out, "You're made up of freaks that mix with animals and worship dark gods."

The man turned to her, eyes widened in disbelief that she was antagonizing them, that her hatred of the Faunus overrode her common sense. The Heresiarch's face scrunched up in disgust before he declared, "There's more to it than that, _sister_. Allow us to show you some of that old-time religion. What d'ya all say?!"

" _ **SACRIFICIUM!"**_ the cult chorused.

' _Sacrifici-?'_ Gretchen thought. Her eyes widened, " _Sacrifice_?"

He called out loud, "PRIEST!"

The woman found herself in the hands of the cultists, screaming as she dragged toward the pentagram, her shirt torn off, exposing her chest. Team GRVE winced at the sounds of her legs breaking as they were kicked out from under her and she was pinned in the center of the pentagram. The crowd made way for the priest, dressed in a red robe and wearing the skull of a goat over his head.

"W-why aren't we doing anything?" Eva whispered, distressed. "Why aren't we stopping this?"

"You want them to turn on us next?" Gretchen replied, still looking at the procession before her, entranced.

Roland smiled nervously, "Really, you're...scared they'll...do things to us if we..." he grabbed her and whispered hurriedly. "Dude, we need to get the fuck out of here!"

"And walk right into the Grimm?" Gretchen scowled over at her partner. "We are staying here."

"HELP!" the man shouted over at the Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-Training. "You're supposed to be Huntsmen, right? SAVE US!"

To his shock Team GRVE did nothing but watch the grisly spectacle unfold. They watched on as the woman's screaming turned to gurgling as the knife sunk into her chest, and was silenced quickly enough as the priest dragged the knife down, her chest coming apart. The priest reached into her chest and plucked out her beating heart, which he proceeded to burn in the fire right in front of the man, him reduced to a shaking, pale, puking mess. Soon he too was begging for mercy as he dragged towards the pentagram, the cultists breaking his legs when they tired of his struggling and stretched him out on the ground.

"Oh, and by the by, the name's Marcus Black," the Heresiarch finally identified himself. He smiled, "If you plan to stick around there's plenty of other things to show you."

The male sacrifice died almost instantly when the knife was plunged into his chest, his heart ceased beating from the shock. And all the while Gretchen was watching.

And she _still_ looked entranced.

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed VI:  
A Study In Pain**

 _Before Doom we floated in a vast ocean of nothingness for centuries – in confusion, in agony, and stewing in hatred and rage toward all those responsible for our damnation, the God of Darkness' power radiating from our fragmented souls. In time that nothingness bent to our collective will and twisted itself to become our Hell. And our rage gave what remained of our fragments our twisted, unholy forms...  
_ _ **\- Excerpt from the Ungmar Codex**_

(RWBY)

" _ **AD INFERIS APUD VOS**_ , YOU ARROGANT FUCK!"

 _ **ON THE HUNT (REMAKE)  
\- ANDREW HULSHULT**_

Glynda would have been lying to herself if the sheer hatred in Gretchen's furious screaming in Argent Lingua – the Language of Silver - didn't scare her. Or the fact Roland's flaming kusarigama kept her on her toes, the intensity in the 3rd Year's face made her shiver as she tried to restrain him with her telekinesis. She saw Vict and Eva exchanging blows with Peter's blunderbuss-axe and Gretchen furiously trying, and failing, to hit Ozpin with her gauntlets; the headmaster parrying her maddened hooks with his cane, moving behind her and striking her in the back of the head, knocking her back away from Ruby and standing in front of her protectively.

"What happened at Mount Glenn was a mistake," Ozpin said, his can held in a fencing position. "I should have known better-"

"The Grimm were on us in minutes!" Gretchen exclaimed as the syringes in her gauntlet refilled themselves with liquid Fire Dust. "Professor Byron bled out in our arms!"

"It's not too late to put a stop to this, Gretchen," Ozpin appealed calmly. "Think of your brother."

The anger temporarily faded from Gretchen's face, which was replaced by smirking realization, "He'll kill you if something were to happen to me." Leveling her gauntlet at Ozpin she fired the syringes at Ozpin. The headmaster effortlessly deflected them, but left him open for Vict's Lightning Dust infused katana when he bounded off Port and struck him across the back. Ozpin grunted when he felt his Aura take a hit.

In spite of feeling like she had been literally injected with a thousand volts, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and saw Eva diverting her attention from Port and leap into the air, her hookswords transforming back into submachine-guns, the laser dots on his back. Covering Ozpin's back, she deflected Eva's bullets as she opened up upon him as he simultaneously fought off both Gretchen and Vict. "Take Ms. Schnee and leave immediately!"

"No way!" Ruby desperately exclaimed. "They're after _me_ so this is my fight too!"

"There's no time for-!"

"YAAAH!"

Vict dodged a blast from Port's blunderbass-axe and knocked it out of his arms with a flying scissor kick, and followed with a vertical slice across Port's chest. Thankfully, the professor's Aura held and he countered with a straight punch to the 3rd Year's chest that sent him skidding across the ground on his feet.

"Surely you haven't forgotten _whom_ you've picked a fight with?" Port asked pompously.

Vict's smirk was, fitting, devilish, "A Baalgar's future plaything!" His katana overcharged with the Lightning Dust and moved with enough speed he practically phased out of reality, appearing right behind Port and surprising the older professor. What saved him from Vict's katana going through his back was a black glyph that appeared on the ground he was standing on which froze him in place, courtesy of Weiss. The heiress had come coming to and had instinctively cast the glyph when she saw the cultic 3rd Year about to impale the professor, leaving him open for Port to recover his blunderbuss-axe and strike him hard enough that he took a part of the ground with him as he was sent flying off the roof...

 _ **(Down Below)**_

It didn't take long for the whole academy to learn that the teachers were squaring off against Team GRVE – the top 3rd Year team, onlookers already flooding the campus outside the lecture building. Yang and Blake were running back toward where they left Ruby, weapons out. It had been bad enough that their team leader had insisted on trying to mend things with Weiss, but...

"What do you mean 3rd Years are picking a fight with Ruby!?" she angrily cried.

With JNPR following close behind him, Jaune put his hands up defensively, "H-hey why're you shouting at _me_? I wasn't the one that told you, some other student did!"

"Some nameless, random pointed it out to us," Nora added, her statement just as _random_.

Blake rolled her eyes, "Who cares? Ruby and Weiss are in trouble, we need to-!"

 _WHUMP!"_

And Vict smacked into the pavement right in front of them, cracking the stone and bringing the one-half of Team RWBY and Team JNPR to a screeching halt.

Jaune swallowed, "...ohhhhh..."

Vict groaned as he pushed himself off pavement. And his eyes glowed Argent crimson as he turned his hateful gaze upon those present.

"...SHIT!" Yang cried. She moved into a defensive stance, Ember Celica locked and loaded.

"Friends of the Doom Slayer, right?" the crowds backed off as if they can feel the negativity radiating off Vict. "You need to die."

Yang threw the first punch, her left hook hitting the flat side of Vict's katana. He countered with a kick that Yang guarded with her right fist, and would have followed that with a headbutt if Vict hadn't did so first, his chrome dome knocking Yang back. With Akoúo̱ raised Pyrrha dove in between them, guarding against Vict's blade and thrusting Miló at Vict chest. The bald 3rd Year spun on his heels to dodge, his katana overcharging and unleashing a massive wave of Dust-infused energy that would have taken Yang, Blake and JNPR out.

If Nora hadn't decided to throw herself right in front of Vict and take all that electricity, supercharging herself and the oversized hammer she wielded a shit-eating grin on her face...

" _EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_ - **YAH**!"

...as she swung Magnhild into Vict's stomach. Chrome dome could only mouth a curse before he was sent flying into the other into the building across from the lecture hall, sending pieces of academy flying everywhere and scattering the crowds.

 **(Back Up Top)**

Ozpin knew that the remaining members of Team GRVE stood no chance against him, Glynda and Peter. Hell, they wouldn't be able to a chance if they were solely up against him. And he knew _they_ knew, which would account for how ferocious they fought against them; if only to clear a path toward Ruby. The teachers made sure to keep themselves in-between them and Ms. Rose, the Schnee heiress not leaving her side as they fought against the cultic huntresses and huntsman-in-training.

Glynda extended her crop toward Roland. His burning kusarigama froze in midair before it wrapped it self around his arms. This left him screaming in pain as the flames ate through his Aura and burnt his arms. Glynda blanched at the sight and smell of burnt flesh and telekinetically pulled the vial of Fire Dust out of the chain weapon, the flames extinguishing themselves which left Roland a burnt, agonizing, kneeling wreck.

Eva lunged at Glynda in a fury, screaming, " _ **HEATHEN**_ BITCH!"

Ruby appeared in front of her and sent her hookswords flying out of her hands with one swing of Crescent Rose. Eva cried in pain when she felt at two of their fingers break on her right hand from the force before swinging a left hook that nailed Ruby in the side of her face. Williams' 'training' instinctively came to Ruby's mind as Eva threw a straight jab at her, throwing her head back to avoid the blow and countering with a headbutt that knocked her backwards into another of Weiss' spinning glyphs that generated force enough to slam her onto the ground, cracking the floor and stunning her.

Ozpin struck Gretchen across the head with his cane hard enough to knock her down on her knees. He jabbed, no longer calm, instead with a bit of heat in it, "In attacking Ms. Rose you just exposed yourself and your group's activities in Vale."

Gretchen wiped the spittle from her mouth, "It was _time_."

"Time? For what?" Ozpin sounded firm. "Those people that saved you and your team three years ago. They were part of the demon cult, weren't they?"

Gretchen glared up at him, "They showed us the truth."

Ozpin looked sympathetic, "It's not too late to-"

"Watch you fail _again_?" Gretchen queried. She smirked, "Oz _ma_?"

Speechless, Ozpin's eyes widened.

"Ozma?" Glynda cocked an eyebrow.

Gretchen turned to Glynda. "You don't know, do you? He-"

Ruby and Weiss gasped and looked away when Ozpin suddenly struck Gretchen across the head _hard,_ that shattered her Aura and left her winded _,_ anger on his face. Glynda looked freaked at Ozpin's uncharacteristic losing of his nerve while Port appeared undetermined about how he should react. Realizing what he had done, he looked regretful as he he lowered his cane, blood dripping from the end and he saw he had injured Gretchen across her face. "I...I..."

Gretchen chuckled, her right eye closed as her blood ran over it, "You...if the Slayer knew...he'd _side_ with...the Whore...against the coward-gods of..."

"Enough!" Ozpin exclaimed. "You are not making sense. Hell is-"

" _Real_!" Gretchen shouted. "Hell is real! The demons are real!" She gritted her teeth, "They hate _Her,_ they blame _Her_ for their suffering!"

' _Whore? Her? Do they mean Salem?'_ though Glynda, alarmed. _'What's she got to do with Hell?'_

"...what? What?" Ruby shook her head as she muttered. "What's she talking about?"

"VICT!" Gretchen screamed into the air. "VICT **! EVOCO!** _ **EVOOOOCOOOOO**_ **!"**

Vict picked himself up from beneath the rubble of the building wall he was punched through. He tore open his uniform to reveal his chest and back was tattooed immensely with runes, repulsing everyone down below. Suddenly he drew a sacrificial knife from his pocket and drove into his Aura surrounding his chest hard enough so that it could be seen by the naked Aura.

 _ **SUSPENSE (REMAKE)  
\- ANDREW HULSHULT**_

And his Aura was Argent crimson that lit up the runes in his body. He staggered out of the building and landed on the ground in a crumpled heap. A seemingly invisible force forced him up back onto his feet, causing his eyes to bleed, his muscles and skin around to rip and tear itself as something forced it's way out of his back. Vict could only manage a hiccup before his guts forced it's way out his mouth as his spine bent itself outward before it exploded right out of his back along with his entrails as a brown, spherical demon with big red eye, two horns, large teeth and long arms ending in claws. The demon was enshrouded in Argent energy as it ascended into the air, blood dripping all over the crowd and leaving the hollowed-out corpse of it's summoner Vict to fall to the ground; all amidst panicked cries and frenzied screaming from everyone present.

"FUCK!" Yang screamed.

The demon – the _Pain Elemental_ – chortled as it flicked Vict's blood off it's wrist. It turned to the students that already had their weapons out, and was quietly amused at how brave they tried to look before one of the heathens threw himself at it with their extendable bardiche. Calling forth one of the Lost Souls it held in it's gut, it reached into it's mouth and hurled flaming, screaming skull at the student. It exploded on contact and reduced the 2nd Year to a pile of burnt, smoking gibs.

"Gods!" Glynda cried. "Ozpin, Peter, the students!"

It dawned on Ozpin what Team GRVE's goal was: Not just to inflict chaos under his watch, but to get under his skin, to rattle him, and to make sure Blazkowicz wouldn't have been around to end them before they could. And it _worked_. He underestimated how much self-preservation these cults had for themselves, and how much of a hold they can have on _his_ students.

"OZPIN!" Glynda shouted, waking him from his stupor.

He turned to see the Pain Elemental summoning more Lost Souls which it hurled at the students as they fled the area, hitting three more of them, leaving them burnt, convulsing and foaming at the mouth on the ground before it turned it's attention to everyone on the rooftop. The way it floated toward them resembled _waddling_ of all things, and it was chuckling as it had Ruby in it's sights.

Until Ozpin stepped in front of her and raised his cane at it, silently daring it to come forward. The Pain Elemental summoned another Lost Soul that came barreling at the headmaster, and was momentarily left gaping when Ozpin swung his cane with enough force the air current sent the Lost Soul off-course and screaming into the wall of a nearby building.

Pieces of it rained all over the plaza below, Jaune extended his shield to shield himself and one of the students that had been hit by one of the Lost Souls. "Hey!" Jaune exclaimed as he grabbed the writhing student's shoulder in a bid to calm him. "It's ok, we're gonna get you some...uh!?"

The student's eyes went red as the demon within took possession, grabbing Jaune by the throat as it slowly stood back up, snarling venomously through it's new meat puppet. Pyrrha would have rushed in to sever the Possessed's hand if Jaune hadn't headbutted it first and striking it across the face with his shield before he drew his sword in time to face the two other students that Lost Souls had struck and possessed. He managed to keep a straight, determined face when he ran the next one through his sword. He nearly bit his tongue off when the Possessed punched him in his mouth before it reached for his hands and forced Crocoa Mors out of it.

Pyrrha hurled Akoúo̱ at the other Possessed, expecting to hit it in the throat. To her shock it managed to catch the shield with it's _teeth_ , and using it to guard against Nora's Magnhild before striking her across face. It dodged Ren's StormFlower, leaping up on top of his head and bounded off him toward Yang like a cannonball. Yang thought about taking the Possessed's strike head-on, until Blake threw herself in front of her...

"BLAKE!"

...stretching her ribbon out with both hands and catching the Possessed in the neck, catching it in midair. Securing it tightly around her neck Yang grabbed hold and swung the Possessed into the one Jaune had impale, flooring them.

"They're possessed!?" Yang exclaimed. She looked up at the Pain Elemental and snarled. "That thing did _that_ to them?"

She fired Ember Celica into the ground and launched herself into the air. The Pain Elemental hurled another Lost Soul her way. To it's surprise she grabbed it and slammed it right into it's face, vaulting over it and landing on top of the roof in front of Ruby.

"Sis!" Ruby cried.

Roland and Eva took advantage of the confusion caused by Yang's badassery, Roland tearing his kusarigama off himself while Eva grabbed her. Drawing his combat knife Roland took Glynda by surprise and stabbed her in the leg, the blade penetrating her Aura and hitting bone. A twisted smile was on the youth's face as he twisted the blade, causing Glynda to scream in pain and strike Roland repeatedly in the head with her riding crop until she drew blood.

Port took aim and fired, separating Roland from his right arm with the loud _**squelch**_ of flesh and bone being rendered asunder. His arm still gripped the combat knife that was still in Glynda's leg, the rest of him writhed on the ground clutching the stump. Port appeared emotionless over dismembering a former student, but he fought to keep himself from breaking down over turning his weapon on another human being.

Eva made the mistake of going for Ruby while Yang was there. And it just happened. Yang blurted out...

" _ **DYNAMITE!"**_

...and she punched right through Eva's chest, blew a massive out her back and the shockwave cracked the wall. The 3rd Year looked down at Yang's wrist that was through her chest, then up into Yang's enraged face and red eyes in disbelief. Yang stopped looking angry when she realized she had just killed another human being – and not a Possessed either.

"Oh...shit..." Yang muttered. In disbelief.

Eva smiled and coughed blood into the brawler's face. "M-murderer..." Eva croaked out before gripping her arm and forced it all the way through her chest so that they were eye to eye. "You...murderer..."

She expired right on her feet, her head dropping on Yang's shoulder. She cried out and pulled her fist out of our chest and pushed the corpse to the ground, eyes quivering as she felt herself slip into shock Then she heard the Pain Elemental giggle, and her lip curled in rage when she turned to see the demon laugh and point at her, like it was feeding off her negativity.

The Pain Elemental turned to catch Ozpin's staff when he tried to strike it in the face. Port aimed his blunderbuss-axe at the demon, but he cried out in pain when he felt Gretchen fired her syringe-blades from her into his wrists, and flames burst forward from beneath his skin as liquid Fire Dust coursed through him and dropped him to his knees. Glynda tried to intervene but was slowed down by the knife wound in her leg, which left her open for Gretchen to punch her across the head and knock her down before feeling Gretchen's hands wrap around her throat and a demented smile on her face, revealing shark-like teeth, as she began choking the life out of her.

"Ask. Ozpin. About _Ozma_!" Gretchen urged her. "Ask him, you dumb cun-"

Gretchen's head bounced off the ground after Yang's left hook made impact and knocked her right. This just the demon Team GRVE had summoned through Vict's own body. The Pain Elemental gripped Ozpin's cane hard and tore it out of his hand. Enshrouding it in Argent energy he tossed it Yang's way with the force of a bullet.

"EEP"! Yang cringed and ducked out of the way, the cane embedding itself in the wall.

"YAH!" Ozpin balled his hand into a fist and punched the Pain Elemental in the eye. It hollered in pain before ramming itself into the Ozpin and knocked him into Glynda when she tried to get back up. It turned it's attention to Weiss, and caused her to gasp when she felt it's solitary glowing eye examine her. It reached into it's mouth with both hand and hurled two Lost Souls straight at the girls.

Yang came at it from behind, and felt the back of it's hand strike her hard, Hell energy behind it's strike that was powerful enough to send her falling off the roof and down into the plaza where Blake and Team JNPR were still fighting the Possesssed.

"YANG!" Ruby cried. She turned to Weiss, "Back me up!"

"Right!" Weiss cast glyphs over themselves that accelerated their speed, weapons primed and ready to slice the demon to pieces

The Pain Elemental snorted and produced two more Lost Souls. Instead of tossing them, however, it crushed the two screaming skulls in it's hand, producing a flaming shockwave that hit both girls. For them, it was like being caught in the middle of an explosion, and alive long enough to feel the flames melt their flesh and char their bones – which were Argent energy's effects on Aura.

Ruby couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks as she tripped on her feet, dropping Crescent Rose and clutching herself as she writhed on the ground, screaming as Argent static enveloped her body. Weiss fought through the pain and swung Myrtlenaster at the demon. It ducked backward to avoid her swing before it thrusted it's hand forward and grabbed the heiress by the neck, squeezing tightly enough and causing her to drop her rapier as she tried to pry it's claws open.

Ozpin tried to push himself back up, realizing Glynda was unconscious on top of him. "NO!" he cried, seeing the Pain Elemental raised it's left hand and sink it's claws into her head, chortling as it wasn't trying to penetrate her skull but her Aura.

Weiss screamed when she thought she felt the demon burrow into her mind, seeing images of her childhood flash before her eyes. First it was both good and bad memories, before the demon settled on the _bad_ ones.

"NO! STAY OUT!" Weiss cried as she tried to bat it's claw away from her forehead.

 **PAIN!**

Memories. Of her mother. _**A WEAK-WILLED DRUNK THAT ABANDONED YOU!**_

"NO...I...I don't think she's-"

Her elder sister. _**A STUCK-UP DESERTER THAT LEFT YOU!**_

"N-not Winter...I'd never..."

Her younger brother. _**A JEALOUS LITTLE DEGENERATE THAT DESPISES YOU!**_

"I...I..."

Her father. _**HIS GREED WILL BRING HELL UPON ATLAS!**_

"He wouldn't...not that far...he wouldn't go that far..."

She heard the demonic voice in her mind.

" _ **YOUR...GRANDFATHER...HE..."**_

" _ **BUUUURRRRRNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"**_

"ENOUGH!" Ozpin was suddenly up on his feet, pulled his cane out from the wall and swung his cane in the Pain Elemental's direction. Those present thought they saw Ozpin's eyes glow before a blinding light struck that demon.

It howled as it let go of Weiss. Lying on the ground she thought she would see Ruby still contorted in agony. Instead there was her team leader gritting her teeth, reaching for Crescent Rose and slowly forcing herself up. Weiss could see the determination in her eyes, it reflected her own as she herself reached down to recover Myrtlenaster.

Ruby smiled painfully, "I just...thought up a name for a really cool demon-killing move..."

Weiss sighed, and returned the smile, "What's it called?"

" _ **DEMON EYE GOUGE OF DEATH!"**_

The Pain Elemental roared and lunged at Weiss, it's maw wide open in an attempt to bite her in half. Weiss slid underneath the floating round demon and thrust Myrtlenaster.

The Pain Elemental just floated there in midair, unmoving, as it released Weiss' Myrtlenaster went right through his it's back, and out the other end through it's eye. It looked like it was in shock, until Weiss pulled Myrtlenaster out and a geyser of blood erupted from it's eyes and it squealed in terror, clawing away blindly at it's stricken eye before Ruby finished it off with Crescent Rose, slicing it right in half with a vertical strike before following up with a horizontal blow, hitting it with enough force that it exploded into gibs.

And that took the last ounce of strength out of Ruby, Crescent Rose flying out of her hands before she literally spiraled into unconscious before she hit the ground. Ozpin felt like he was concussed as his vision blurred and he fell to his knee, barely making out Weiss dragging herself over to Ruby and throwing herself over her body protectively.

"...that name sucked..." Weiss muttered, and she passed out too.

Ozpin closed his eyes when he felt his head hurt, likely sustained during the battle against the demon, massaging the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to alleviate the pain.

"Ozpin..." Port's arms dangled uselessly on either side of him as he forced him back onto his feet. "The children...down below..."

 _ **(Back Down Below)**_

"STAY DOWN!" Yang howled as she slammed the Possessed into the ground right through the wooden bench. She realized berserker tears had been running down her face the whole time the Possessed had been keeping her from getting back up to her sister. The Possessed student grabbed a piece of the bench and tried to run her through with it. Yang swatted it out of it's hands and struck him with a right hook that blew off it's face and part of it's skull, leaving the eyeballs to dangle of their sockets. Yang thought was she going to hyperventilate, "...j-JUST DIE, PUTRIED FUCKIN' PIECE OF-"

The rest of the Possessed's skull was blown apart by Pyrrha's Miló in it's rifle configuration. The other Possessed coughed up blood as the stab wound inflicted by Jaune earlier was about do it in and tried for one last lunge at Team JNPR, and was cut down by Ren and StormFlower.

Ren sighed, "It's over. They're dead." He looked up at the sky. "And so was that thing?"

Yang was frozen in place, eyes widened and pupils diluted in shock. She killed another Possessed, right after killing someone that wasn't.

"Yang?" Blake called out to. "Yang!"

"W-wha-?"

"Ruby and Weiss," she cried. "They're ok, right?"

Yang shook her head and propelled herself back up to the roof, Blake following close behind as she scaled the wall up. They saw Ruby and Weiss unconscious on the ground, Gretchen unconscious, Roland unconscious minus an arm, Eva's corpse, Port with his arms burnt from the inside-out and Glynda also unconscious. Ozpin was the only one still on his feet, himself looking thoroughly at a loss.

"Professor!" Blake called out.

"...yes?"

Team GRVE's true objective was clear, Ozpin realized. It was to unsettle him, to put doubt in his mind. To make him scared of how the Doom Slayer would react if he found out the _truth_.

And he was scared.

"Blakzowicz!"

Ignoring Blake and just barely registering Yang running past him to check on Ruby, Ozpin walked over to the edge of the building and looked down to see the man himself running toward the plaza below with Team CFVY, minus Fox Alistair, right behind him. He couldn't what Jaune was speaking to him, but judging from how Blakzowicz looked up at him with contempt he wasn't happy.

And neither was Ozpin.

 **(END)**

(RWBY)

 _ **(Infirmary)**_

 _ **(Early afternoon)**_

"Owww...my head..."

Ruby had a splitting headache when she came, the blur in her vision gradually fading enough for her to recognize she was lying in bed in the infirmary.

"Weiss? Yang? Blake?" she croaked. "Willi-?"

She noticed something small and red was standing on the desk next to her bed on her right. It was _Redguy_ – one of the action figures William owned. Curiously, Ruby reached over and took it. And she nearly dropped on her lap in fright when it played a brief low-quality metal riff. Embarrassed, Ruby chuckled, picked it back up and started to fiddle with the arms and legs, until the door into the infirmary opened and in stepped Yang.

And Yang wasn't quiet about her elation that her sister was alive as she cried out joyfully, "RUBY!"

The Reaper found herself unable to breath when Yang hugged her, her face smoshed in between her bosom. It took some effort on her part to push herself away from Yang's chest which left her gasping for air.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours, it's afternoon now," Yang answered.

"What happened to Weiss?"

"She's fine, she's..." Yang sighed. "She definitely needs some time alone." Yang sniffed and hugged her again, her arms around her neck.

"Yang?"

"I...I was so scared, I...I thought I lost you."

"Me too, Yang," Ruby replied. "For a second I thought _that_ was it." She smiled, "Till I remembered how to put my fists up."

"Yeah," Yang chuckled. "Guess B.J.'s quote unquote 'training' was good for something. Speaking of whom..." she smiled and indicated Redguy. "Where'd you get _that_?"

Ruby looked down at the action figure, "It was next to my bed." Her eyes widened, "I think he came to see me earlier, and I was still asleep."

Yang chuckled, "That big softie. He and Team CFVY arrived back at Beacon the minute you killed that one-eyed freak-"

"Yang? Ruby? That you?"

Ruby froze when she heard a familiar voice, "Uncle Qrow!"

Yang tore the curtain separating the beds and sure enough there he was. Bandaged up enough to nearly freak Ruby out. Qrow smiled painfully, "Hey, girls."

Yang looked outraged, "What the _hell_ happened to you?"

"Hell? Heh, all kinds, that's what," Qrow retorted. "What you two went through, apparently." He grumbled, "Demon fucks..."

Ruby covered her ears, "Language."

"Sorry, kiddo," Qrow slurred. "Slight shock, a bit delirious blood loss, way high on medicinal uppers... _really_ out of it at the moment so pardon me."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him, "What exactly happened to you out there?"

Qrow snorted and was about to answer when he stopped, and sighed. "Nothing you need to terrify yourselves over. Just rest, ok?" He laid back on his and turned to his side so that his back was facing them.

"..." Ruby and Yang were at a loss. Ruby suddenly reached for Yang's sleeve and yanked on it.

"Sis?" Ruby swallowed before she whispered. "Did Qrow say he fought demons? Outside Vale?"

"Yeah," Yang replied, just as quietly. " _Where_ , exactly?"

"Does William know?" Ruby wondered. "Was that why he and Team CFVY went off on a mission yesterday?" Yang looked mournful, when Ruby brought up Team CFVY. Ruby sounded scared, "Yang?"

"What happened to them last night was bad, Rubes."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Headmaster's Office, Beacon Tower)**_

"...it got away, sir. Grav Deag, or whatever, took off like a rocket into the night sky. And I've got the feeling we haven't seen the last of it, either."

"And Blazkowicz?"

"In all honesty, sir, I think he took Fox's death _worse_ than the rest of us. Grimm just kept coming the whole night, into the early hours next day, and he just kept on killing them all until extraction came. He used up most of the SDC's Dust burning nearly half the forest down."

Coco downed what was left of her coffee before putting the cup down on Ozpin's desk. Ozpin with gauze around his forehead from an injury sustained today seemed to compliment the bruises that were still fading from his face, she thought.

"I see," Ozpin replied. "And I am sorry, about everything you and your team went through."

Coco nodded sadly, "We're Huntsmen. We're always prepared for the possibility of losing one of our own, sir." She swallowed, "Just...not to something so...so twisted."

And it seemed surreal to see Ozpin look forlorn, too. And not just from the news that one of his students were killed, Coco believed.

"I will personal oversee the necessary arrangements concerning Fox, Ms. Adel," Ozpin said. "Memorial will be held tonight and his body will be sent home."

"I've already cleared out his belongings, sir," Coco said. "And...I..." Coco sniffed and wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry..."

Ozpin stood up from his desk and walked around toward her, where he extended a comforting hand for her shoulder.

"There will be nothing else, Coco. You may go."

Coco nodded and sighed, "Sir."

She walked out of the office, leaving Ozpin standing there before his desk.

"..." the Vale Council would have gotten wind of Hell's attack on Beacon by now. If it meant them cancelling the Vytal Festival and shifting resources toward the kingdom's defense against the demonic incursion, then the deaths of three students, including Fox Alistair, and the revelation that Team GRVE would traitors slash demon cultists would not have been for nothing.

Speaking of GRVE, Gretchen and Roland were held in the containment center away at the edge of the academy grounds. The same place where they kept Grimm for live study and combat exercises until James arrived with more qualified 'specialists' to interrogate them. Each in separate containment cells with their wrists shackled and mouths gagged to prevent suicide or to use themselves for another twisted, demonic ritual. Just like what Vict did when he used his own Aura as a portal to summon the demon.

And the Schnee Dust Company already knew about the D'Nurian ruins and had tried to gain access to the 'Vale site.' That was _some_ cause for concern.

"It would seem the demon seed had been planted long before any of us would have been able to foresee it," lamented Ozpin to himself.

They knew about Ozma. How was that possible? How much did Hell and their mortal servants know about... _everything_?

 _ **++Professor Ozpin?++**_ VEGA interrupted his thoughts through his scroll. _**++Blazkowicz has sent you a message.++**_

He checked his scroll...

 _YOU._

 _ME._

 _DORMS._

 _ROOFTOP._

 _NOW._

Blazkowicz wanted him to come to him for once...

(RWBY)

 _ **(Dormitories, Roof Access)**_

Sitting on the roof overlooking Beacon with Beacon Tower in the distance William doublechecked his heavy assault rifle's ammunition belt, looking over each red-tipped point fifty bullet casing. Hopefully it wouldn't be long until each one of those bullets finds itself in a demon's skull, the Fire Dust burning each of them alive from the inside-out and leave nothing but ashes.

"..." since when did he become such a sadist? "VEGA?"

 _ **++Online.++**_

"We ain't stayin' for much longer."

 _ **++You intend to pursue the demons stranded in Mistral?++**_ VEGA interceded.

"Demons. Cultists. _Corporates_ ," William groused. He didn't forget that the Schnee Dust Company beat them to the ruins. "Anyone else that needs to die."

 _ **++Vale City and Beacon Academy must be secured first from any further demonic or cultist incursions,++**_ VEGA explained. _**++And this 'Salem' must be dealt with in time. The Fall Maiden's safety must be ensured during our absence.++**_

"..." William reassembled his assault rifle.

 _ **++Do you have a plan?++**_

"Take em' all out at once."

 _ **++Methods?++**_

"Lure em' in. Kill em' all."

William stood up when he heard the door behind him open and Ozpin appeared, all resigned in having to deal with the Doom Slayer once again, and not in the comfort and security of his office.

"With no regard to how the ensuring violence will attract the Grimm to Vale?" the headmaster asked, having heard William and VEGA's conversation through the door.

The Slayer could tell Ozpin was finally becoming weary of him.

"...that a joke?" William retorted.

"For you, I guess it is," Ozpin tiredly responded. "I'm still getting messages daily concerning the rise of Grimm attacks due to what is being classified as 'an influx of negativity.'"

 _ **++At this point not being able to agitate the Grimm can be considered an impossibility,++**_ VEGA remarked. _**++For now, we must secure the Fall Maiden until General Ironwood and his reinforcements arrive.++**_

"By eliminating her pursuers?" Ozpin inquired.

William snorted, "Never crossed your mind?"

Ozpin looked pensive, "No." Sullen, he asked, "Is that what you wanted to speak to me about?"

 _ **++Concerning the woman that attacked us that night-++**_

"We... _I'll_ deal with her," William declared. "Her an' this 'Salem'. Kill em' both."

"..." Ozpin didn't know to respond to that.

William had a feeling Ozpin was hiding _something_ if he had suddenly decided to go quiet _._ He decided to give him the opportunity to voice his concern.

"Anythin' I should know?"

Ozpin looked at him quietly, before he sighed. "I can't stop you from...doing what needs to be done. Do you have a plan, at least?"

 _That_ wasn't it. Ozpin was hiding something.

 _ **++It can be classified as a work-in-progress.++**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Later)**_

Ruby was out of the infirmary later that day, leaving Qrow in the company of Professors Goodwitch and Port. In spite of their injuries the doctor had informed the two of them that they would be able to return to teaching in no time. Assuming Beacon Academy wouldn't be closed due to that massive breach of security alá a one-eyed horned demon spitting flaming skulls and possessing everyone. Ruby was smart enough to know that there was no way that the authorities were going to let that one slide, especially since it had been Team GRVE that had been the ones to summons the demons to Beacon in the first place.

She found how what had happened with William and Team CFVY's mission. Though she barely knew Fox, she cried for him all the same. Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi had appreciated the gesture

Holding Redguy in her hands, Ruby felt lonely. Yang had volunteered to help clean up the plaza by carrying away the debris and keeping aside for Goodwitch to put them back where they belonged later, Blake had disappeared and Weiss was back at their dorm room, and Ruby decided to giver he space.

That left William, Ruby decided. She headed toward the guest section of the dormitories. She found him just about to enter his room.

"William! HEY!" Ruby called out happily.

William froze when he had been able to twist to door knob into his room. He noticed she was holding that action figure. "Ruby."

Ruby wasn't smiling when she thought William wanted to be left alone too.

"I...uh...thought you wanted this back," Ruby indicated Redguy.

"...keep it," William replied.

Ruby felt herself go red in the cheeks, quickly lifting Redguy up to her face to hide her embarrassed smile. "Thanks..."

"..." William was about to open the door to his room when he saw Ruby was still standing there, now looking like a strawberry than anything else. He sighed, stepped away from the door and leaned against the wall, waiting for whatever Ruby wanted to say next.

Ruby realized she still had William's attention. She swallowed nervously.

"I...heard about what happened with Team CFVY," Ruby said. "And what happened to Fox."

"..." William felt himself stiffen when he felt Ruby's hand on his arm.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know," William replied, flatly.

Ruby looked momentarily stupefied when William didn't show any kind of reaction, or a hint of emotion, over Fox's death. "I..." Ruby bit her lip and removed her hand from his arm. "What happened to uncle Qrow, I thought the worst. I-" William turned and looked down at her, no sympathy in his eyes. Ruby sighed, "I guess you know a thing or two about losing the people you love, huh? And you must've had forever to get over it."

"..."

Ruby smiled sadly. "Must be nice, not being _bothered_ about it. I can't do that, I can't just pretend that seeing my friends and family getting hurt doesn't bother me and-"

"I don't pretend."

"...what?"

"I don't pretend losin' D'Nur doesn't bother me, 'cause it _doesn't_. Not anymore," William explained. That revelation left Ruby shocked. "D'Nur's bein' gone for thousands of years. I'm still 'ere."

Ruby blinked, "And your _family_?"

William narrowed his eyes down at her, "Like you said, I had _forever_ to get over it. I stopped mournin' em' centuries after-"

He frowned and turned his head away from Ruby. His lips curled upward as he let out an irritated grunt.

If it wasn't obvious by now, William wasn't one to carry on a conversation.

Ruby flashed a guilty look. This obviously wasn't something he wanted to discuss.

' _He really has nothing left except making the demons pay,_ ' Ruby thought. She looked back down, still feeling guilt. "Sorry. I...I'll go now."

As Ruby turned to leave. William closed his eyes, and sighed. "Wait."

Ruby froze, and smiled, and became confused when she felt her eyes water. She didn't know if it was out of empathy for William and Argent D'Nur or if she was happy William told him to stay. Quickly wiping the tears away, she turned back to the Doom Slayer.

 **++Has anyone broached the subject to you about your silver eyes?++** VEGA suddenly asked.

"Um...when I first met Professor Ozpin he said I had silver eyes," Ruby replied.

"...that it?"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded. She looked worried and what she said next William swore he could taste the naivety, as well as the diabetes, "Why? Did he leave anything out?"

"..." William scowled. " _Your_ mom was silver-eyed?"

"Yeah," Ruby answered, unsure. "Why did you-?"

"You an' your sister _do not_ look alike."

"..." Ruby found herself staring at the floor once again when as she frowned. "Where are you going with this?"

The Doom Slayer was slowly becoming more and more vexed by the second. Ruby knew nothing about her heritage. Ozpin probably knew _more_ than a few things about the Silver Eyed bloodline, and he wasn't telling her jack shit about _anything._ The balls on that asshole, trying to keep Ruby from knowing _their_ history, obviously he was planning to gradually impart to her information about her Silver Eyes, just enough to keep her loyalty to him. The silver eyes, the Maidens, Salem – he was keeping _everybody_ in blissful ignorance, and it was only going to be a matter of time before said ignorance was going to kill someone.

Ruby looked down at the ground, "When we were being attacked Team GRVE mentioned 'silver eyes', and how they want to...to..." She shuddered, moving an unconscious hand over her womb. "They came after me because of..." she felt herself tear up. "Why?"

William gently grasped her by her chin and made her look at him in the eyes. For a second, she thought she felt trouble as she stepped away from William.

Suddenly mad about the possibility of things being kept from her, Ruby demanded "What's so special about... about _our_ eyes?"

Inwardly, William was smiling. She was _asking questions_. Good. Better to not overwhelm her by telling her _everything_ right away. Just answer the questions that she asks.

"..." guess he's not so different from Ozpin after all, not telling Ruby _everything_ yet. The Slayer wasn't smug about it, at least.

"W-why are you asking about mom?" Ruby's asked, worried. She quietly asked, nervous, "Are we...related?"

William raised an eyebrow. Where did _that_ come from? Though...

"Not by blood," William replied. "Where I come from-"

"Argent D'Nur, right?"

She remembered that? Good.

"The Silver Eyes of the Night Sentinels guarded the Wraiths..."

"Wraiths?"

"YO, _prick_..."

Ruby gasped when she saw Qrow standing some feet behind them, dressed only in his pants and gauze around his arms and chest, hand on his wall to steady himself, Harbinger in his left hand. "Uncle Qrow?! What are you doing out of bed?"

"Just wanted to check on the new kid himself – the demon-slaying WMD," Qrow smiled painfully, his voice slurred from the drugs, though one wouldn't be able to tell if it was either that or if he was drunk again. "And ask him why he's been botherin' my nieces."

"...kid?" William muttered. He didn't look _that_ young, did he?

"William's not bothering me," Ruby replied. "We were just talking."

If the Slayer had to guess, Qrow knew that. And he didn't want him telling Ruby anything relating to the silver eyes. Ozpin really was determined to keep the wool over Ruby's eyes. The bastard.

"Funny, I'm seeing otherwise," Qrow retorted. "So, Blazkowicz, right? You got a thing for little girls or somethin', is that it?"

"..." William felt his left eye twitch at that remark.

"Wha-? _Ewwwww_...!" Ruby recoiled and stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"That why you're stickin' around Beacon instead of goin' out there and killing demons like you should be doing?" Qrow rambled on. He lifted Harbinger and pointed it at William. "If that's the case, I'm gonna have to kick your ass, fuckin' creepo."

"Wait...what?!" Ruby exclaimed. "Uncle Qrow!?"

"HEY!"

And standing behind Qrow was Yang, herself a mixture of confused and incensed.

"Uncle Qrow, why are you trying to pick a fight with B.J.?" Yang asked.

Qrow laughed as he turned to face his eldest niece, " _B.J_? You call him B.J.? What the hell kind of-!?"

William closed the distance between them in a few second, William ducking to the side to avoid his swing before he grabbed his sword hand and squeezing his wrist hard enough to make him curse in pain and release his sword, no strength to be found in his loaded state. Qrow felt William's hand around his throat, and he knew it wouldn't take much effort for the Slayer to rip his head off. And he thought he could feel the heat coming from Willams' peeved look.

"I guess I was outta line with that little girls comment, huh?" Qrow's smile didn't' leave his face. "My bad."

"..."

Alarmed, Ruby grabbed William's arm and cried, "Don't hurt him! He's just being...err...Uncle Qrow."

"Yeah B.J., no need to cripple him or anything," Yang added.

Never mind the fact Qrow was the first to draw his sword on him. William snorted and let Qrow crumble to the ground in a heap.

"Hey, c'mon," Yang threw Qrow's arm over her shoulder and lifted him up. "Let's get you back to bed."

"Nuh-uh," Qrow pushed Yang away and picked up Harbinger. "Not until I've settled things with our new buddy here."

"Wha-? What's wrong with you?" Yang cried. "Settle what?"

" _Things_ , ok?" Qrow shot back. "He knows what I'm talking about." He glared at William, "Right?"

"..." William glared. "Do I?"

Qrow grinned, "Alright. Well..."

Ruby and Yang cringed when they heard the gears inside Harbinger turn as Qrow prepared to fight.

"Any time you're ready, _kid_."

POKE!

And William just pressed his pointer finger against Qrow's head and he just toppled over onto the ground, already unconscious from the drugs still in his system. Ruby and Yang both blinked, relieved that this insanity was over but feeling very dumbfounded at what just went down.

"What just happened?" Yang asked. "Ruby? B.J."

The Slayer already had Qrow's blacked out body over his shoulder. He shrugged, "Fuck if I-"

" _ **LANGUAGE!"**_

" _Ow_ , Ruby! My ears."

"...heh."

"Not funny, _Blazkowicz_."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Those sacrifice victims at the were those two Faunus-hating thugs from the Adam trailer, that called them freaks and ran away when Adam cut their friends down. One of the best things about writing fan fiction, everyone's lives are in YOUR hands, heh._

 _Concerning a few recent plot revelations in Volume 6, I admit they've thrown me in a bit of a loop, but I've already got a few ideas on how to use them in this fic, especially where the Maidens and the Wraiths are concerned. Really, all the plot that I've already planned out hasn't really changed, especially where everyone's personal histories are concerned._

 _Word of advice: When a highly anticipated new game comes out, stay away from YouTube. The videos end up in your suggestions regardless if you looking up the subject in question or not.. That's how they ruined Red Dead Redemption 2 for me, their videos with the titles 'Spoiler: So-and-so dies' and 'Spoiler: Tuberculosis this' when they've already spoiled it. I sure as hell ain't gonna let them ruin Doom Eternal for me when it comes out._

 _Apparently, they're coming out with a 'PC Classic', in the same vein as the NES Classic and all those other miniature emulators. The original Doom, Commander Keen and Quake II has been confirmed for it (or at least I've seen footage of them being played on the prototype in the trailer). Hope they decide to throw in the original Quake, Heretic, Hexen and Blood as well. I can't be bothered tracking down the patches and OpenGL needed to run them on modern hardware._

 _1,041 Favorites. Thank you. ^_^_

 _Next chapter: Cinder + A 'good guy' not afraid to be worse than the bad guys =_ _ **PAIN!**_

 _After that, closer to leaving Beacon and toward the next arc._


	19. Demon Seed VII: The Monster

_**v.2**_

* * *

 _ **(Somewhere in Vale's countryside...)  
(Nighttime)**_

With it's good, uninjured arm Deag Grav wailed pitifully as it dragged itself through the brushes, the smoke still rising from it's burnt, bruised body. It had been hours since it had hit the ground after being shot into the sky in a disgraceful fashion, and the excess Argent energy within itself still burned horribly. It was yet another humiliation in a long-line humiliation ever since the conquest of Argent D'Nur tens of thousands of year ago, back before the 1st Age ended and the universe reset itself. Only, D'Nur and it's culture, language, sacred runes and _three_ of the Elemental Wraiths had been in Hell's possession. All thanks to _him_.

Grav screamed in frustration, the pain it felt reminiscent of the _beatings_ the Dark Lord of the 1st Age's guards had given it when the Baalgar blamed it for the coming of the Doom Slayer. It had convinced humanity's greatest warrior – a man whose hatred for Hell had, at the time, been legendary - to betray his own people and lead him towards the Wraiths themselves. Hell had it's source of power to sustain it ad infinitum, but instead of elevating the lowly, loyal Hell Priest to the rank of shadow lord, the denizens of Doom had the audacity to scapegoat it for the billions of demons slaughtered by the sole surviving Silver-Eyed Warrior and Praetor of the Night Sentinels, and for all the millennia the Doom Slayer tormented Hell.

They blamed Deag Grav. Ungrateful, lowly worms! And whom was it that finally ended the Doom Slayer's rampage? Deag Grav was the Hell Priest that came up with the plan to lure the silver-eyed freak into the tombs of the Blood Keep and collapse the whole thing on top of him. And it was Deag Grav that suggested that he be killed, but the Baalgar in their arrogance decided to just put him in the sarcophagus, a trophy of sorts and to keep the lower ranks of the Slaves of Doom in line. And when Deag Grav objected they made him a _prince._ Not a Baalgar – a shadow lord that is second to the Dark Lord himself, but a _mere_ prince with the duty as 'cardinal' of Hell.

Again, Deag Grav was slighted. And now here he was, on Remnant on yet another's fool errand, covered in bruises, mud, and crawling through a forest and it would only be a matter of time before the Grimm would come for him. Those soulless abominations of the Whore-Queen herself. A twisted smile found it's way to his face as he pulled himself toward a nearby cave., knowing the Beowolves would follow him inside.

And sure enough, they did. A pack of six Beowolves followed the blood trail he left behind and saw that it lead into the cave. Snarling they went in, expecting to tear about a half-dead demonic sorcerer. Instead what followed were crimson lighting the darkness, enraged demonic snarls, terrified howling and one Beowolf's attempt to claws it's way back outside the cave before it was dragged back inside, whimpering.

Minutes passed, and those same six Beowolves stepped out of the cave, their eyes glowing with Hell energy as the demonic power slowly begun to twist them as their 'passenger' took control over each of them. Each let out a terrifying, distorted wolf's cry before they headed north.

As much as Deag Grav wanted to journey back to Vale, another power called to it. And it would be just what was needed to get it's hands on the Maidens themselves and their power before the Argent energy within himself, within all demons, within Hell itself, finally ran out.

Then, it was just obtaining the Relics of the coward-gods of Remnant. And after that, the coward-gods themselves.

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed VII:  
The Monster**

 _It is not enough to simply kill your enemy. Their malice, their arrogance, their egotism, their belief they ever had a chance against you – it must all be swallowed up by your rage and burning hatred for their very existence as you rip and tear them limb from limb, where they regret every last one of their life choices that led them up to this point and they die soiling themselves in terror. And the person next to them will realize that they can run as fast and as far as they can, but they will never get far.  
_ _ **\- From the "Terror" Doctrine, The Killing Arts of D'Nur  
As written by Mercato Ateius, 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **Praetor of the Night Sentinels**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Blazkowicz's Room)**_

William didn't attend Fox Alistair's service, not even out of respect. To him, eradicating the Chimera that Deag Grav had woven out of that his husk and Death Stalker Grimm plus a hundred more Grimm up until this morning had been his way of paying respect. And nobody seemed to notice his absence save Teams RWBY, JNPR and C(F)VY; he was sure everyone else blamed him for his death anyway.

Alone in his room he took the time to get organized. Vacuo was a bust and there's no way Vale was going to risk their hardware trying to get him over the border again, especially the fact that as grim as things were at Shade Academy, the demons infesting the place were at least contained in the one place, and that leaves Mistral and the demons running amok after their attack on Haven Academy.

Performing yet another weapons check, William mentally went over the game plan (work-in-progress): Kill the pricks pursuing the Fall Maiden. Kill the Hell cultists pursuing the Fall Maiden. Get out of Vale. Go to Mistral. Kill the demons running around out there. Find Salem. Kill Salem. Investigate the Schnee Dust's Company's interest in D'Nur. Shut down the Schnee Dust Company's interest in D'Nur (break Jacques Schnee's wrist if necessary). Find another working D'Nurian teleporter and tether oneself back to Mars. Recover the Crucible. Deal with Hayden. Go back to Hell and _finish_ what was started... _for good._

And that was killing the Dark Lord of the Fourth Age.

All for Earth's sake.

"..." it wasn't even the _same_ Earth his father had hailed from. _That_ Earth was long gone along with everything that had been part of the First Age. It almost made his great-great-grandfather and namesake William Joseph Blazkowicz's fight against the tyrants that ruled Earth for a time pointless. He fought and bled for his world, and it faded away with the passage of time.

He heard footsteps down the hall and guessed that it was Teams RWBY and JNPR returning to their rooms. Grabbing his armaments as well as a cloak and hood from his closet, he hoped to be out of the building before of any of them noticed his absence, catch the ferry back to Vale City and put his plan into action.

One more thing to add to the game plan: Stop causing people to grow emotionally attached to oneself.

He waited a bit before he opened his door, but before he could he suddenly remembered something. He wearily glimpsed over at his desk, sighed and opened the drawer. Reaching in he picked up the Blazkowicz family heirloom, clenching his fist over it and contemplated tossing it out the window. Instead he just put it back in one of his suit's pockets.

Out of sight. Out of mind.

 _ **(Team RWBY's Room)**_

Weiss also hadn't attended Alistair's memorial, instead sitting at the team's only study desk with her head in her hands as she agonized over being violated _mentally_ by a demon. The way it taunted her over how she thought about her own family, her reasons for leaving Atlas, and the fear that her own father would be susceptible to unleashing Hell on Remnant if Hell appealed to his greed. It'd be just in character for him to take whatever deal Hell dangled in front of him.

She became angry when she remembered William was just down the hall, not bothering to attend Fox Alistair's own memorial, as if it was beneath him. She wanted to blame _him_ for her being this way because he wasn't even here to help when those traitors summoned that monster. Her eyes dimmed in resignation when she realized how vindictive she was becoming and that wouldn't have been fair on Blazkowicz – even if he was a Neanderthal gun nut.

...it wasn't fair to call him that, either. A _Neanderthal,_ not gun nut.

Weiss sighed when she realized how lonely she felt, and wondered why her own teammates weren't here to offer any sort of comfort to her after experiencing something as traumatic as what she went through. Didn't they even care her? Why wouldn't they-?

She chuckled mirthlessly when she remembered that she wanted to be left alone. The first time it was after blowing up at Ruby after her supposed ineptitude at being team leader, yet she still wanted to make peace with her, even offering to make her team leader if she could beat her in a duel. The girl was so innocent it boggled the mind that she was even a prospective Huntress in the first place.

And put her beside Blazkowicz, a real _odd_ couple. And that made Weiss frown, for some reason.

"..." she felt _really_ lonely. Standing from her desk she could use some company, and since Blazkowicz was in the same building as her she decided she could do worse. She smiled, wondering why she thought of the Slayer as such and yet eager to see him again.

She stopped smiling when the door opened and she saw her teammates in the doorway, frozen.

"Oh! Weiss," Ruby looked guilty. "Sorry, if you need some more time to-"

"No, I don't," Weiss replied. Looking downcast she added, "I was just about to step out-"

"Services are done, Weiss," Blake replied. "But we told Team CFVY you weren't able to attend."

Weiss nodded, "Thanks."

"Hey! Is that Weiss?" they heard Jaune call out from down the hall. "Is she okay? Does she need-?"

Yang smirked and called back, "She _fine_." She turned back to the heiress, "You are fine, right?"

Sitting down on her bed Weiss smiled, "I'm getting there. It's just..." she looked straight ahead at the wall. "...those demons finding ways into our bodies, and minds. What are they getting out of tormenting people like that?"

Yang shut the door behind them as they all sat down on their beds.

"Because they're evil?" Ruby answered, unsure. She closed her eyes and realized that this needed to be taken seriously. "Grimm are always attracted to negativity, right? So..."

"Demons are negativity, personified?" Blake queried. "Is that what you're saying?"

"It'd make sense," Weiss replied. She grumbled, "And why they seem to revel exclusively in human misery."

Ruby looked at her, worried, "Weiss?"

Weiss gritted her teeth, "It felt like that thing was sorting through my memories as if it were a book, and bringing every bad memory I've ever had." She closed her eyes, "They don't just want to kill us, they want to _break_ us as well."

Yang raised an eyebrow and an awkward smile, "Laying it all out a little thick, aint'cha Weiss?"

Weiss looked at her tiredly, "Whose to say Eva Pioux didn't deliberately let you kill her just to mess with your head?"

Yang breathed in sharply, "I..." She growled, "That's bullshit!"

"Hey, HEY!" Ruby exclaimed. "Let's not go there, ok?" She paused, "Maybe William should get in on this conversation."

That proved to be a real conversation stopper. An awkward silence passed, before Weiss coughed into her hand, closed her eyes and brushed her skirt off. "If we must," she said, turning her chin slightly upward in an exaggerated display of resignation.

That didn't convince anyone. Yang smirked teasingly, "You're allowed to like him, Weiss."

Weiss opened an eye, "I _tolerate_ him. That is all."

' _Tolerate?'_ Blake thought, herself unsure about her stance toward the Slayer. _'Yeah, sure.'_

 _ **(Team JNPR's Room)**_

Though they didn't know Fox personally, his memorial was a somber experience all the same for Team JNPR. They knew the risks that would come with being Huntsmen and Huntresses, but seeing the end result of said risks and nearly succumbing to them earlier today were a different matter. Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren sat on their beds, trying to process once again how close they were to death, and what the resulting fallout would be.

Jaune's teammates didn't miss how worried he appeared.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha said.

This roused him from his worried stupor, "Huh? Oh, hey...don't worry about me, I'm just...thinking."

"About?" Nora inquired.

"Things I...really need to talk to William about," Jaune responded, tired.

"Plenty of things, I'm sure," commented Ren, resigned. "And I don't think anything he says will sit well with any of us."

...awkward silence.

"I'MMA GET BLAZKO!" Nora declared as she pushed herself off the bed and landed right in front of the door. Tearing it open she poked her head around the corner toward where his door was in time to see William, wearing a cloak and hood in _some_ kind of attempt to obscure his power-armored behemoth self from the general public, close his door and freeze when he noticed Nora staring at him. She froze up as William's faceless visage darkened by his hood stared back at her, before noticing Ruby was peeking her head out from her room as well.

"William?" Ruby wondered.

The Slayer glimpsed at Ruby before he walked the other way down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yang called out before she stepped out into the hallway. "You saw B.J.?"

"Yeah, and he's...leaving?" Nora replied. "Again?"

What sounded like wind followed, and suddenly Ruby vanished, and that caued Blake to nearly jump in fright as she had been in eyeshot.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Main Avenue)**_

The way towards the docks where he would grab the ferry to Vale was clear, everyone dealing with the demon attack that had happened today. It had been a Pain Elemental, who would have thought those things would come back after...how long had it been since they were last seen?

 _ **++You realize Ms. Rose will follow you to Vale?++**_ VEGA queried. _**++And her team will follow**_ _ **her**_ _ **.++**_

"Yeah," William replied.

 _ **++Their opinion and trust in you will shift dramatically once they witness what you are capable of.++**_

"...good," he answered. "I won't have to deal with em' anymore."

 _ **++You intend to keep familiar contact to a minimum from now on?++**_

"..." so he wouldn't have to choose between either saving someone that was too weak to save themselves or killing more demons. "What I was tryin' to do."

 _ **++That is understandable.++**_

"William?"

The Slayer kept on walking when he heard Ruby call out to him.

"Hey, WAIT!"

She appeared right in front of him. He stopped in his tracks before he could walk into her.

"What?" William said, disregarding how upset the Reaper looked.

"What? _WHAT_?!" Ruby cried. "You're leaving again? And you're not even bothered to say goodbye to any of us!?"

"Wasn't plannin' to."

Ruby gaped at that response. "Why? Where are you going"

William looked down at her. Her tone of voice, her posture, the way she bowed her as if to hide her tears. It _sickened_ him.

"To kill some people."

Ruby's eyes widened, "Kill...people?"

"...yes," William deadpanned. "Not Grimm. Not demons. _People_."

"And after that?"

"Mistral."

"...oh," Ruby said, glum. "But what if-?"

"Ruby."

"...yes?"

"What did I say the first time I walked away?"

"'Go home and live happily?'"

 _ **++It is not too late to depart Beacon and return to Patch. You and your sister,++**_ VEGA intersected.

Ruby was taken back, "W-why would I do that? I came here to become a Huntress-"

"Where I'm goin', a Huntress isn't needed," William said. "You try an' follow me, Hell awaits."

Ruby took that as a challenge as she drew Crescent Rose. "You're not fighting alone anymore, William, I-" the Slayer slapped her scythe out of her hand and it fell to the ground. Ruby gasped, got on her knees and checked to see if it wasn't damaged. Suddenly she yelled up at him, "WHY'D YOU DO THAT!?"

"..."

" _Oh crap, Hunter, I..."_

" _T-that hurt..."_

" _I...I didn't mean to-"_

" _I want dad! I want mom to come back..."_

" _...I...I can't..."_

" _Wh-William wait..."_

" _..."_

" _WHERE ARE YOU GOING!? COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

The way William looked down at her made Ruby feel very small. She shivered a bit, "I...I thought we were friends."

"Grow up."

William turned and went on his way, leaving Ruby kneeling on the ground cradling Crescent Rose and watching him in disbelief as he walked away.

"HEY!"

Ruby keep on watching William even as the rest of her team caught up with her, Yang beside her in a heartbeat. "What happened? Why are you on the ground?"

"He...he's going to find the people that send Team GRVE after me," Ruby indicated Crescent Rose, and how some of the paint had been scrapped of it. "And he told me to...to..."

"Grr... _bastard!_ Nobody-" Yang was about to pursue William when Ruby reached up ang grabbed her by her skirt. "Ruby?"

"Leave him alone, Yang," Ruby said sadly.

"But Ruby, he..."

Ruby looked resigned, "He doesn't want us to follow him. Not where he wants to go."

"I don't really understand why you're even worried about him," Blake said. "Obviously he never wanted anything to do with us from the very start." Blake paused for thought. "With _anyone_ , probably."

Weiss crossed her arms and sneered, "If he's taking the demons and the cults down with him, all the power to him."

"... _with_ him?" Ruby quietly repeated.

With him? As in 'death'?

Ruby picked up Crescent Rose, and Yang nearly gaped when she saw how resolved Ruby suddenly looked, "Rubes?"

"Ferry leaves in seven minutes, right? More than enough to get dressed in my new gear and go with him," Ruby decreed as she headed back toward the dorm.

Weiss scowled, "But you just said-"

"He doesn't need to know," Ruby shot back. _'And I'll show him I'm Huntress material.'_

Yang blinked, confused. She suddenly smirked and ran after her, a sense of pride in her sister bubbling. She paused and turned to Weiss and Blake, "You girls _in_?"

Weiss felt aghast at the idea of going out on a school night and walking into yet another massacre, which was something she didn't need right now on account of still recovering from having a demon practically rape her mind.

School night? For all she knew, after tomorrow Beacon Academy was going to end up shutting it's doors if the Vale Council decides it's no longer safe for the students and she'll end up going back to Atlas, and no way will her father let her attend Atlas Academy. If that was going to happen, she could at least return home to good publicity once they hear about how she helped bring down the demon cult of Vale.

Weiss sighed and went inside, followed by Blake. The Faunus-in-hiding felt conflicted, and with a strong impulse to just run away. But that would leave her score with Blazkowicz unsettled.

Score? What 'score'? Over him fighting the White Fang and kneecapping Adam? Blake wanted to get as far from the Doom Slayer as possible, but she found herself being drawn to him and his refusal to treat her and the Faunus any different than humans. She felt obsessed with finding out what the extent of his indifference was, to know if he was truly like every other human that had taken a gun to the Faunus, or if he was something a lot worse.

And with that she mentally braced herself to witness, and probably partake, in more bloodshed.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Headmaster's Office, Beacon Tower)**_

None of this went by Ozpin as he had watched the exchange between William and Ruby on his scroll. The Doom Slayer had given her one last chance to just walk away from the bloodshed, away from _his_ world. Instead, here she was in her new Huntress uniform following him, with her team at her back, each of them ready and willing for battle.

His scroll displayed **-INCOMING CALL-** on it's screen, identifying the caller as Glynda.

He sighed, "You haven't been cleared to leave the infirmary yet."

" _Not while the school is recovering from yet another attack, Professor,"_ Glynda replied, coolly. _I've had Team GRVE's room searched. Right now, I'm burning a tome bound in what appears to be human skin in their trashcan and I'm going to flush the ashes down the toilet afterward.."_

"Is that all that was found?"

" _A steel box, with Blazkowicz's brand on it,"_ Glynda's response included a snapshot of an ancient looking box with the Mark of the Doom Slayer emblazoned in red over it. _"I'm conflicted about this to be honest."_

"Don't open it. Put it aside for now and we'll get in touch with Blazkowicz after he has done what needs to be done."

" _He's left already?"_

"He has," Ozpin answered. He quickly debated whether he should mention Team RWBY, and remembered she had heard the name 'Ozma' and the inevitable trust issues that would arise. "...and Team RWBY with him. Without his knowledge... _possibly_."

" _...I see."_

"Glynda?"

 _ **(Team GRVE's Room)**_

Glynda gripped her with both hands tightly she felt the glass begin to crack, ignoring the smell and the smoke from the waste basket as the spell book burned, both the fleshly leather and the pages turned to ash.

"Have you forgotten about Team STRQ? About Summer Rose?"

" _Never,"_ Ozpin answered. _"I'll never forget about Summer Rose and everything she's done."_

"For you?" she frowned. "For _Ozma_?"

"..." the other line became silent. "Ozma is _dead_. For as long as Blazkowicz has been alive, I believe."

Glynda looked over at the steel lockbox that had the Mark of the Doom Slayer.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Vale City)**_

Within the cordoned off sections of the city after more than a week they were still clearing the debris caused by the Atlas airship crash that brought the undead to Vale, not to mention finding more bodies, none of them Possessed thankfully. Coupled with the two demonic attacks on Beacon Academy, an aura of dread had descended upon the city, most folk keeping themselves indoors once the sun went down and praying to their various deities to protect them from the Grimm, from Hell, from anything that would want to hurt them.

Except for two of them...

"...this is bullshit, Emerald."

"What is?"

"The waiting. Bull. _Shit_. What makes Cinder think he's going to roll up into town tonight?"

Walking the mostly barren footpath toward the cliffside air dock Emerald Sustrai's attention was paid to more to her scroll and her copy of the UAC codex that had been forwarded to her courtesy of Professor Lionheart., more specifically the demon bestiary as she made a mental image of each of the monsters. She found herself engrossed as she studied each near incomprehensible form that these demons took, the information provided for each creature, remembering the first time she opened the bestiary she near soiled herself at the sight of the Baron of Hell, and wondered how this William Joseph Blazkowicz III, the 'Doom Slayer' and now recently infamous 'Grimm Marine' could keep fighting these things for thousands and thousands of year.

"Yeah, right," Emerald muttered. She turned to her silver-grey haired companion in his grey mercenary outfit. "Mercury."

Mercury Black smirked over at the green-haired, dark-skinned, near scantily-clad girl, "Yo."

"You are sticking to the plan, right?" Emerald wondered.

Mercury rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. 'I insist you don't take any chances,' Cinder's words. This guy doesn't look that tough, anyway."

Emerald smirked, "Famous last words."

"I'm serious," Mercury shot back. "He's just some guy in power armor that can somehow lug an entire arsenal. Take em' away and what've you got?"

"The guy who crippled Adam Taurus himself?" Emerald replied. "And is in a bad enough mood to draw every Grimm on the continent to himself?"

"And Cinder really wants to recruit this guy? What the hell can _she_ offer him?"

Emerald shrugged, "More ways to kill demons?"

"Demons? _Pssh_..." Mercury brushed the concept of demons from Hell off. "Tell me you don't believe in that shit?"

Emerald frowned, "Well whatever they are they've already thrown Cinder-"

"Whoa, hold up!"

Stepping out of the air dock terminal was the guy himself, and his shoddy attempts to go incognito in public were hindered when they noticed the light from a nearby lamppost reflect off his visor that he kept hidden beneath his hood, besides his clock not being long enough to hide the armor cover his legs.

"The _mute's_ still coming to help us, right?" Mercury inquired, sounding a bit nervous than he would care to admit.

Emerald smirked, "What, now you're scared?"

"Hey. Not taking chances," Mercury protested. Smiling sharply, he added, "Cinder says so."

Emerald snorted and walked toward the Slayer as he stepped onto the footpath as he exited the docks and proceeded to walk in the opposite direction, "Watch _this_."

She eyed the scroll he had attached to his right hip, flexing her finger as she prepared to swipe it off him and continue on. Before he fingers could even graze the wireless device she felt the Slayer's crushing grip close around her hand.

Alarmed, Emerald thought, _'Oh, shit,'_

 _ **(William's POV)**_

The shivering little brown-haired girl in rags couldn't look any more pitiful if she tried, the Slayer's whole hand practically swallowing her wrist and she looked apologetic and ready to burst into tears at any given moment.

He let go of her and said, "Go home."

The girl didn't need to be told twice. She turned and ran the opposite direction as fast as her little legs could manage, William watching her all the while.

 _ **++You let her go?++**_

"Wasn't plannin' on cripplin' a kid tonight," William responded gruffly.

 _ **++That wasn't a child, she looked to be the same age as Yang Xiao Long.++**_

That gave William pause.

"..."

 _ **(Emerald's POV)**_

"...I swear...my heart stopped for a second..."

Emerald had ducked into a nearby alley after getting away and started hyperventilating, much to Mercury's amusement. The girl turned on him in anger and punched him the face.

"FUCK YOU, bastard!" she cried.

Mercury winced as he rubbed his face, "Ow, what the hell, Emerald!?"

"He grabbed me before I even barely managed to stretch my fingers," Emerald retorted. "It felt like he was going to rip my arm off!"

"Hey what'd you expect? The prick's probably on guard," Mercury stated. "We just need to find a way to hit him from behind while he's busy doing his thing with the White Fang when they move on him." He remembered there were still Dust shops that were left untouched by the Faunus working for Torchwick. If the Grimm Marine was as deadly as the rumors surrounding him it wouldn't take long for him to home in on him.

Emerald's scroll buzzed. She answered it, "Trifa?"

" _We just saw the Faunus Killer show himself in Vale. We're shadowing him now. We just need to get him somewhere we can box him in, and hold him long enough to-"_

"Yeah, we remember the plan. We just need a lure," Mercury called out. "Just leave that to us."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Air Ferry, Cargo Hold)**_

"Can you see anyone? Blake?"

"We're clear."

"Alright team. On the count of three...THREE!"

Team RWBY kicked the hatch off the wooden box they had hidden in and tumbled out onto the ferry's cargo hold in a heap, all dressed in their new Hunter uniforms. After allowing the stars to momentarily circle around her head Ruby brushed off her uniform just in time for the cargo hold doors to open and reveal the docks outside.

"Alright guys you know the dri-what the f-!?"

Team RWBY knocked the dockworkers aside as they exited the ferry, each of them letting out a guilty 'sorry' as they vacated as fast as possible.

"I don't understand why we had to go _baggage class_ , sis," Yang declared.

"Beacon's not supposed to know we're following William," Ruby replied. "And I don't want William to know either."

"Up until you decide we need to pull him out of something he can get himself out of it," Weiss pointed out snidely. "Why can't you just admit you're trying to impress him?"

"...well..."

"And why?" Blake added.

Ruby didn't answer that. Instead she just sped off into town, nearly leaving the others in the dust.

Weiss turned to Yang and huffed, "Honestly, is she always-?"

"Hey, you wanted to come, remember?" Yang intersected. "C'mon, let's just stop her from getting in B.J.'s way."

They cleared the docks and turned the corner leading onto the street when Ruby ran into someone, knocking them down.

"Sorrysorrysorry..." Ruby cried. "I didn't mean to-"

She looked down on the footpath, surprised to see how little the girl with curly orange hair with a pink bow dressed in a blouse with overalls topped up with a black and green collar with a matching pair of stockings.

"...uh?" Ruby hummed just as Yang, Blake and Weiss caught up.

The girl smiled and waved up at them, "SAL-U-TATIONS!"

"Uh...hello...?" Ruby waved back awkwardly.

"Are you...ok?" Yang asked.

"I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking."

"Do you...wanna get up."

The girl looked like she needed to mull on that for a bit before she nodded, "Yes. Yes I do."

She leaped back up onto her feet, causing Team RWBY to take a step back.

"My name's Penny, and I'm currently trying to find _someone_ ," the girl, Penny, stated. "Have you seen William Joseph Blazkowicz III, also known as the Grimm Marine?"

"...uh...what?" Ruby looked confused.

"It is very, very _important_ that I find him right away," Penny's tone became serious as if she were speaking to a child. "People's lives could be in danger."

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all looked at each other. Weiss answered, "No, we have not seen this William Joseph Blazkowicz III."

"...oh," Penny looked disappointed. This was followed by her beaming, "Okay. I will continue my search."

She stepped past Team RWBY and walked on.

"Hey, wait!" Blake called out, and cringed when Penny appeared right in front of her in an instant.

"Yes?" Penny sounded hopeful.

"Just...what are you planning to do once you find this guy?" Yang asked, cautiously.

"Never fear. Should the need arise," Penny saluted. "I am _Combat Ready_."

"...ok?" Ruby tilted her head.

"Hmm?" Penny looked distracted. "Oh! White Fang has been sighed within Vale city limits."

Blake sucked in a breath and gasped lightly, "Did you just say-?"

Penny nodded, "Please seek shelter immediately until the threat has passed."

She continued merrily on her way, humming off key to herself, leaving Team RWBY at a loss. Blake suddenly took off and began scaling a rooftop to get the best possible view.

"BLAKE, WHERE ARE YOU OFF TO?!" Yang shouted after her.

"WE HAVE TO STOP THEM!" Blake cried back. "C'mon..."

"Why is she concerned about those thugs in the White Fang than them attacking William?" Weiss loudly questioned.

"Maybe she wants to save the White Fang from William?"

(RWBY)

 _ **(With William)**_

 _ **++We're being followed. My sensors are tracking what appears to be Faunus judging from their body shapes. It is the White Fang.++**_

"...yep," William replied.

 _ **++They appear to be trying to a lay a trap.++**_

William hummed in acknowledgement.

 _ **++I am also detecting the presence of another artificial intelligence in the area, that that would to have it's own mobile platform. Otherwise known as an 'android'.++**_

William blinked, "...noted?"

 _ **++You risk hitting innocents with stray AP rounds if you open fire in the street.++**_

"..."

 _ **++Trouble ahead...++**_

What William could describe as a Neapolitan ice-cream with heterochromia given human form dressed in a pink and brown white-tail jacket with several necklaces around her neck. She carried one of those old-timey umbrellas and she had a smile on her face as she walked toward him, completely fearless. The Slayer wouldn't have considered her a threat if the street lamps didn't suddenly go out, the light from the moon above shining down on the two of them.

Them, and the heavily armed White Fang mooks looking down on them from the rooftops. The Neapolitan flashed a knowing smile his way, indicating that, yes, he was surrounded. And they were going to have a fight.

And William didn't waste time when he drew his pistol and fired, the Neapolitan ducking under the shot, twisting her body as closed the distance between them and popping up right in front of him, William looking straight down at her and her now taunting smirk. The Slayer raised his knee to strike her in the gut, before a white flash disoriented him. Opening his eyes, the Neapolitan vanished, and William raised is arm in time to blocked her umbrella from smacking him in the visor, which she followed with an Aura-enhanced kick to the side that knocked him against a shop wall.

She dodged his swing of the chainsaw with ease, bending over backward as the blade skimmed over her. She kicked William upside the head as she followed up with a cartwheel, which dazed him and forced him on the defensive when the Neapolitan girl closed her umbrella and unleashed a hail of strike and dodging each of the Slayer's strike, before bringing her umbrella down on his wrist and hitting him hard enough the vibrations forced him to release his grip on his chainsaw.

His hands were still free, however, and grabbed her umbrella when she moved to strike him in the head. The Neapolitan's smile disappeared and she moved to open her umbrella and surprise him, instead she was swung through a shop window, shattering the glass along with herself and setting off the store alarms.

"..." William had no words.

 _ **++Hypothesis: Her Semblance appears to be an ability to generate illusions of herself,++**_ VEGA said. _**++Be on your guard.++**_

William turned to see the Neapolitan standing atop a nearby lamppost, again smiling. William braced himself, crossed his arms in a block as the Neapolitan bounded off the lamppost and dropkicked him with the force of a missile, sending him flying backward through the shop wall, through the storeroom and through the opposite wall, finally coming to a halt when his back slammed into the wall of the next building.

William was hardly fazed, and only now was starting to feel annoyed. Chainsaw in hand he was about to step right back into the store when he heard a cough followed by agonized moans. The Slayer felt his whole frame freeze up, and he slowly turned his head to see the small hand that was sticking out from underneath the rubble of the wall he had just been knocked through.

For the first time in so long William felt _panic_. As in, for another person.

 _ **++Why are you not moving, Blazkowicz?++**_

William bolted for the rubble in an instant, already tossing bricks and structural support. He's eyes widened when he saw that it was the same little girl that tried to steal his scroll from earlier impaled on a pipe, her blood on his hands and her tear-filled eyes staring desperately up at him, silently asking him why this was happening to her. He forgot he was supposed to be fighting the Neapolitan and moved to cradle the little girl in arms, mindful that she was impaled and that attempting to remove the pipe from her could be fa-

 _ **++What are you doing?++**_

William felt his nerves begin to fray. _**"FUCK OFF!"**_ he shouted. "GIRL'S DYIN' IN MY ARMS!"

 _ **++...there is no-one there.++**_

The Slayer blinked and looked down at the now seemingly lifeless girl, convinced that he was now holding a corpse.

 _ **++The sensors in your gauntlets are not detecting life signs, much less a weight**_ **,++** VEGA explained hurriedly. _**++You are experiencing**_ **another** _ **illusion.++**_

William felt anger. And he moved his head to the side to doge the axe kick that materialized out of thin that just missed his head with enough force to crack the pavement. The little girl faded out of his arms and he spun around to see a silvery-grey haired teen look surprised that he managed to sneak up on the Slayer and miss caving his skull in.

Now Mercury was the one who looked panicked, "What the f-!"

William grabbing the side of his head and slamming into the wall which cracked the brick, saliva being knocked out his mouth. He found himself gritting his teeth in pain when he felt his skull being pushed against the wall hard enough, he felt like his head was going to burst open.

"...little...help...here..." Mercury grounded out.

A Baron of Hell's roar quickly drew William's attention, where he noticed the big red demon coming down at him from the hallway. Instinct kicked in and he released Mercury, drawing his super shotgun and aiming down the alleyway.

 _ **++HOLD FIRE!++**_

The Baron threw a fist at the Slayer that phased through him, the illusions disappearing to reveal he was aiming his gun at some stranger standing in the middle of the alleyway entrance, frightened at the sight of a man in armor aiming a gun his way.

"HELP! POLIC _EEEEEEEEE_!" the civilian ran off screaming.

Mercury grinned, leapt back up onto his feet and swung his right leg toward the Slayer's face. William caught it, and noticing a firing mechanism built into his boots, swerved his head to the side to avoid the resulting explosive discharge, the flames grazing the side of William's helmet. The Slayer gripped Mercury's foot tightly, and lifted him off the ground.

"Oh shit," Mercury muttered.

And William swung him back into the way, _repeatedly._ Though his Aura didn't break he still felt each impact, and he braced himself to be put right through when William gripped his leg with both hands. That was until he was struck from behind by several blasts of electricity that played havoc with his Praetor Suit's systems, causing him to spasm on his feet before he collapsed down on one knee.

Clenching his hands into fists he strained himself to stand back up, only to feel himself get ensnared by webbing around his chest and legs. Looking around his shoulder saw a dark-blue haired spider Faunus wearing facial armor glaring at him as she pulled hard to keep him ensnared. Before he had the chance to break free he barely reminded by VEGA...

 _ **++LeT tHEm gEt CloSE...++**_

...and felt his helmet getting wrenched off his head followed by a needle being jabbed into his neck. He saw the Neapolitian walk around him, waving a booster around in front of his face tauntingly. She stepped aside, allowing an injured, enraged Mercury, blood pouring from his broken nose, to level a kick to his mouth.

"Mother-"

He blacked out for a split-second.

"...ker!"

And found himself lying on his side, the taste of copper in his mouth. He closed his eyes and kept his breathing as silent as possible, feigning unconsciousness. No one seemed to notice as they spoke to one another like they were safe.

"Ngg...prick broke my goddamn nose..."

"You got careless, human."

"Shove it, Faunus. Hey, Emerald. _This_ is what the asshole looks like?" he heard the kickboxer state with contempt. "Looks like every action film hero ever."

"You were expecting someone different?" 'Emerald' replied.

" _Uglier_ , sure," another feminine voice, the spider Faunus, replied. "Tougher? Definitely."

"Is that what those scars meant for? _Pfff_...edgelord."

He heard footsteps land all around him. Those White Fang shadowing him for sure.

"Hey, how do we know he's not going to get up anytime soon?"

"You're joking, right? Neo pumped him with enough tranquilizer to paralyze a Goliath!"

Just the _one_ Goliath, huh?

"..." the Neapolitan, _Neo_ , said nothing.

The kickboxer snorted, "Hey, if it eases your mind..."

William felt blood fly out of his mouth when felt his face get kicked in a second time.

" _There_."

"Hey, watch it!"

"What? Cinder didn't say he needed to look pretty when we drag the big lug in front of her."

 _Needed_? They wanted him alive? The hell was wrong with these people?

"Right, now we need to find a way to move half-a-ton of human."

"Take those weapons off him, first."

"Got em'. Shit! Feel the weight on em'!"

"This supposed to be an assault rifle? Looks like it fires heavy machine-gun rounds."

"Two shotguns? Fuck me, a double-barrel? Who uses a double-barrel, it's too impractical."

"Apparently, this stupid human."

"This is a _lot_ of Fire Dust."

"He's got Marlowe's chainsaw?"

"Of course, he has. He's the human that castrated the poor guy."

"Bastard! Humans think they can get away with this doing this kind of vile shit to us!? Like we're animals?"

"For the love of...cops are going to be here any minute!" Emerald sounded exasperated at the Faunus' chatter. "How about four of you guys grab his legs, me and Emerald will take his arms, we'll cut through the alleys toward somewhere more secured and we'll call a ride."

"Fine, human. Let's get this over with."

 _ **Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!**_

"...that your phone on silent, Em?"

"Ah, hang on," the sound of shuffling can be heard followed by a scroll's communication app being accessed. "Yeah? Cinder?"

 _ **++Rip. And. Tear.++**_

 _ **MURDER MACHINE INC.  
\- ANDREW HULSHULT, DUSK OST**_

 _ **(1:43-)**_

"...what?"

William's eyes shot open and he lunged off the ground toward the closest White Fang, sinking his teeth into his neck. The oryx Faunus could only manage a confused, pained gargle before William tore his throat out, blood spraying all over William, and eliciting sudden and screams and curses from the White Fang mooks present. Emerald involuntarily shrieked when she was sprayed in the face and chest by the oryx's Faunus' blood as he stumbled toward her, hands reaching for her shoulder, eyes quivering in fright as he silently beseeched her for help. Emerald shoved him back and he fell onto the ground, clawing away at what remained of his throat, leaving her to frantically wipe the blood off her face.

"Oh, you asked for it bastard!" Mercury grinned when he felt like he had the excuse to let loose and blow his face off.

He threw a series of explosive kicks at the Slayer, ending with a hook kick powerful enough to demolish the wall of the shop building, William managing to dodge all of them when he leapt backward and pushed himself of the wall of the opposite building with a double-jump and landed behind him, throwing a right hook that nailed Mercury right in his face and sent him flying out of the alley and into the side of a car parked on the opposing sidewalk. Slumping down on the ground the mercenary croaked before falling unconscious.

"MERCURY!" Emerald drew her revolver-sickles and fired at the Doom Slayer, the blood still all over her face and chest. "YOU _BASTARD_!"

William caught three shots in his left shoulder and chest before charging at Emerald. Leaning himself back he closed the distance by sliding down on his knees and sweeping the leg, knocking Emerald off her feet and following up with downward hammer fist and connecting with the girl's rib hard enough to crack the ground as she bounded off it and out of the other side of the alley.

The Slayer heard his chainsaw being revved and he spun around to see one of the White Fang strain to lift and swing it at him downward. William stepped back to avoid it and countered with a knife hand strike to the forehead that broke his mask in half, revealing his pained, terrified eyes as he watched the Slayer tear his chainsaw out of his hand and swing it into his neck, diagonally slicing him right in half in front of his friends.

"H-how are you even moving?!" Trifa screamed angrily. "There's enough tranquilizer in you to paralyze a-"

William glared and spat out the chunk of Faunus throat he still had in his and wiped his mouth on the back of his gauntlet. Horrified, the White Fang members kept their guns and swords level at the Slayer. Trifia realized none of her comrades were doing _anything_.

"The f...? SHOOT HIM! SHOOT THE HUMA-"

The White Fang that had William's heavy assault rifle had his head burst apart with a single-punch as the Slayer slammed into them, knocking Trifa and the others down. Grabbing his rifle out of the cranially challenged mook he grabbed the next White Fang to come at him with a sword by the throat, shoved the barrel under his chin and blew more Faunus brains all over the alley walls.

He noticed the flash of a scope on a far rooftop overlooking the alley, the White Fang pulling the trigger of his sniper rifle that hit the Slayer in the shoulder, which didn't even hit the meat. The last thing he saw was the glass of his scope shattering before half of head became red mist when William returned the fire.

"RAAARGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

He ducked under Mercury's swinging high kick that essentially demolished the wall into the next shop. William kicked him hard in the knee, causing him to stagger forward and receive an uppercut to the jaw that sent him flying up in the air and landing on his chest.

' _This is bullshit!'_ Mercury thought, panicking. Blood leaked into Mercury's mouth from his split lip, causing to spit it out. He hissed angrily into the back of his hand as he wiped the rest away. _'I thought Ozpin only how had goody two-shoe, never-kill-or-you'll-end-up-like-them bullshit hero-wannabe pussies working for him!'_ He looked over his shoulder to see the Slayer cave another White Fang's skull in with his fist. _'Not...a godsdamn psycho!'_

William noticed Mercury was still alive and primed an explosive round for his combat shotgun. Mercury exclaimed in anger and charged him and threw himself at the Slayer in a drop kick as he pulled the trigger, the explosive round connecting with his right foot. This knocked William on his back while Mercury was sent skidding back at the alley. His Aura was shattered, his clothes were in tatters, and the machinery in his left leg were reduced to sparks and scrap metal.

Mercury spat blood and felt the world around him go black, "That...was fucking expensive..." And he once again passed out.

"YOU MURDERERING BASTARD!" Trifa screamed as she began firing web shots at the Slayer in an effort to immobilize him, finding herself the only White Fang left standing, the rest of her friends and comrades corpses splattered heaps all over the alley.

William grabbed his helmet and charged the spider Faunus, dodging each of Trifa's web shot up until he closed the gap between and swung his helmet into her face, sending her spinning in the air and against the wall. He grinded to a halt when he noticed the Neapolitan standing behind him.

And she was holding Emerald and Merucry over her shoulders, a defiant glare on her face. William drew his super shotgun and fired, all three of them shattering into pieces. They had just made their escape.

 **(END)**

"...VEGA?"

 _ **++Vector uploaded to their scrolls. Currently tracking their movements.++**_

They heard coughing and William turned to see Trifa sitting up against the wall splattering blood, the right side of her face a bloody smear.

"...you..." spat Trifa hatefully. "...when Adam and Sienna Khan...find out what...you've done... they'll... they'll..."

Trifa saw how hideously bruised William's face was where Mercury had kicked him, especially around his jaw where his lip was split and around the left side of his face. Though his nose didn't appear broken, but was still leaking from his nostrils, which showed how resilient he was, and the face he didn't appear to be in any sort of pain, or he was just ignoring it. Then she remembered the last time she saw Adam he had been downing pain medication and once or twice had walked with a limp.

Trifa felt tears well in her eyes and she smiled pleadingly as William put his helmet back on and recovered his super shotgun from another White Fang's still-warm, dead hands. "...you don't have to-"

 _ **CLICK!**_

"NO!"

The ribbon from Gambol Shroud wrapped itself around William's super shotgun and yanked it out of his hand, startling the Doom Slayer into drawing his pistol as Blake materialized in the air right above William, dropkicking him in the chest hard enough to knock him against the alley wall. William hissed in frustration and felt the barrel of Blake's pistol underneath his chin, the Faunus-in-hiding staring straight into his eyes with angry, tear-filled eyes.

Trifa glared hatefully at Blake's back, "T-traitor... _now_ you come back?"

Blake shook her head and shouted in William's face. "Enough! No more killing!"

"SLOW DOWN BLAKE, WAIT FOR-!" they heard Yang shout out after her right up until she turned the corner to bear witness to an alley way of dead White Fang, a thoroughly beaten spider Faunus and Blake shoving William against the wall with her pistol underside his chin. "...uh."

"Stay back, Yang!" Blake exclaimed. "Don't let-"

"Yang, what's going on?!" Ruby cried. "I-ARGHH!" She screamed and turned away, stomach already doing flip flops.

Weiss slowed down when saw Ruby stumble forward toward her away from the alley, "Oh gods, who has Blazkowicz killed now?"

"..." William let Team RWBY vent their disgust toward the carnage he had laid. He addressed Blake rather condescendingly, "What now?"

"...now? NOW?!" Blake screamed, right before she devolved into sobs. "You...you...I..."

Weiss didn't look fazed when she saw the death laid out before her, "It's an alley full of dead White Fang thugs. What are you so upset about? It looks to me Blazkowicz did the world a service."

Ruby gasped, "Weiss..."

"Fuck you, Schnee!" Trifa exclaimed. "Suck my taint, you-"

Weiss frowned and cast a black glyph that hovered above the spider's head that rendered her unconscious.

"The White Fang weren't meant to end up like this, they-"

The Slayer suddenly reached up toward Blake's bow and yang on it hard, undoing the fabric and revealing to her teammates her cat ears. Blake froze in horror as she felt her ears upon contact with the night ear and felt the urge to just bolt.

Instead she just whispered fearfully, "Why?"

Yang gasped, "Blake? You're a Faunus?"

"All this time you were...?" Weiss scowled, outraged. "Are you part of the White Fang?"

Blake wanted to just run. Instead she just held her ground, looked right into Williams eyes and pushed the barrel of her pistol harder against his chin.

"Blake, stop!" Ruby cried.

"I _ran_ ," Blake grounded out. "I ran away, ok? If I knew there were _monsters_ like you, Blazkowicz, I would've stayed and...and...!"

"You sure 'bout htat?"

"You could have taken them down using non-lethal means, you're strong enough to do that!" Blake cried. "You didn't have to kill them."

"...know why I won't kill _you_?"

"Why?"

"Cause' you _ran_ ," William snarled and batted Blake's pistol away from his chin, getting a grip on both it and her hand and shoving her hard against the opposite wall, his free hand on her neck. Blake's righteousness and anger evaporated, replaced by fear when she found herself at the mercy of someone who obviously enjoyed killing Faunus.

In spite of her earlier dismissal of Faunus lives, Weiss shouted, even more outraged, "Blakzowicz!"

"Shit, B.J.!" Yang exclaimed and grabbed him by the arm. "Enough, already!"

William peered in close to Blake. He was silent for a bit, before he stated, "I'm going to go kill more of your 'people' now, _coward_. Try an' stop me. I won't kill you, but...use your imagination."

Frightened, Blake found herself shaking. At the moment she felt like she was in the presence of Adam, "W-what?"

" _Coward_?" Ruby queried. "What are you talking about?"

 _ **++Trace complete. They are the docks, warehouse sector.++**_

"..." William released Blake, the Faunus no loner in hiding slinking to the ground, eyes widened as she felt herself go into shock. The Slayer looked over at the rest of Team RWBY, noting how horrified/outraged/sick each of them looked, "I warned you."

"..." Ruby swallowed.

"So, what? You just want us go back to Beacon?" Yang exclaimed. She gestured at the White Fang corpses. "Walk away from all _this_?"

"W _hatever_ you want," William replied, putting his helmet on. "I know what I'm doin'."

He looked down at Trifa and considered putting a buckshot through her skull, but remembered Ruby was there. He sighed in frustration as he felt he needed to get as far away from Ruby as possible. Why did he care what Ruby would see if he killed another White Fang? Deciding to leave the spider Faunus to the authorities and let them do _whatever_ to her, he turned to leave, only to walk right into a curly orange-haired girl in a blouse.

Surprised, Ruby cried, "Penny!"

Penny smiled, "Greetings, William Joseph Blazkowicz III. As a representative of General James Ironwood, I must respectfully ask you to surrender yourself to the Atlas Military. Otherwise-"

 _ **++She is the android.++**_

"Oh, hello VEGA-"

 _ **SMACK!**_

And William backhanded her right through the wall back into the clothes shop and went on his way, leaving Team RWBY in a state of flabbergasted shock. Ruby got over it quickly and sped over toward her.

Lying amongst the rubble, Penny stared up at the ceiling, unharmed and appearing contemplative, "That was...unexpected."

"P-Penny?"

Penny lifted her head up, still smiling "Oh, hello Ruby. Was that too forward of me?"

"..." Ruby titled her head.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Warehouse, Docks)**_

Cinder smiled when she realized that Mercury and Emerald were gone a fair while. though they should be limping back towards the docks by now, both of them utterly annihilated by the Doom Slayer, where him and his pet AI would be currently tracking them through their bugged scrolls if this VEGA was as sophisticated as the UAC codex made it out to be. A near mindless brute like Blazkowicz was almost predictable.

A Grimm slash zombie apocalypse in Vale. A demonic incursion of Beacon. Cinder wasn't concerned about her plans being derailed by an invasion from the legions of Hell itself. It all hinged on the Vytal Festival and the Council of Vale were too vain to cancel it. The most they would probably is assign more security, from Atlas mostly, and none of her plans meant direct confrontation with Ironwood. That would be up to Roman.

"Fall." Marlowe approached her from outside where the White Fang were busy loading the stolen Dust into their bullheads. "We're almost done transporting all the Dust out of here. All that's left is the stuff at the back."

"So, you have us stealing nearly all the Dust in Vale and stashing it here..." Roman interjected before Cinder could respond. " _Just_ so you can move it someplace else?" He took a drag from his cigar, "I don't normally do 'short-notice', honey."

Cinder didn't miss the burn mark on Roman's face. She smiled, "Well it would be either that or watch it all go up in smoke once Blazkowicz starts shooting."

"And we need that Dust if we're going to storm Beacon Academy once the Vytal Festival kicks off," the White Fang Lieutenant pointed out. "And speaking of that bastard human I've lost contact with the squad send to 'capture' him."

"..." Cinder just smiled.

Marlowe glared at her, "Adam hopes their lives for his being lured into a trap would be worth it. I'm not so sure."

The sound of the warehouse's side door being kicked open was heard, followed by footsteps, and the two unconscious, bruised and bloodied bodies of Mercury and Emerald were tossed at Cinder's feet courtesy of Neopolitan; she reached down to recover Emerald's scroll. She went through the apps, ran Quick Scan and it picked up a Trojan which she showed Cinder.

A Trojan designated: _**SURRENDER**_.

Cinder wasn't smiling anymore Roman smirked and extinguished his cigar, crushing it underneath his heel, "Somebody's feeling...unconfident, perhaps?"

Marlowe cracked his neck followed by his wrists as he walked off to _prepare_.

 _ **(...a minute later...)**_

Neo tossed the bucket aside, leaving Emerald and Mercury a coughing, splattering mess.

"Uh...wha-? FUCK!" Mercury exclaimed.

"Relax, kid," Roman said, indicating their surrounding to be one of the offices in the warehouse. "What's left of you is safe, for now anyway."

"Safe!?" Mercury cried. He stared down at his ruined leg, "Cinder had us up against...against... _him_..."

Roman shrugged, "Not my place to say but I think she knew you'd get creamed."

Emerald glared, "Bullshit. She sent us capture him. How could we'd have known that ten-thousand volts of stun rifle, tranquilizer and two kicks to the head couldn't keep Blazkowicz down? He's a _monster_!"

"And he's on his way here," Roman explained. "Face it, you two were just the _bait_ for the Great White that is the Grimm Marine." He chuckled, "And Cinder seriously wants to tame it?"

"..." Mercury stared at his feet angrily before standing up and hopping away on one foot to find the nearest toolbox, all the while mumbling. "...gonna shove his helmet up his godsdamn asshole..."

Emerald found herself shivering in fright, her eyes widened in terror as she stared at the far wall. _'Cinder can beat him, right?'_ she thought. _'She only has half of Autumn's power but she can still beat him. Right?'_

An explosion shattered the windows in the warehouse all eyes turned toward the security monitors in the office as one of the White Fang's bullheads crashed into the pavement in a fireball.

Roman grimaced, "And here comes the shark."

 _ **(Warehouse District, Docks)**_

 _ **FLESH AND METAL (ALTERNATE 2)  
DOOM OST, MICK GORDON**_

The White Fang caught in the wreckage of the bullhead felt their screaming cease as the air was sucked out their lungs by the flames, leaving him to burn to death in silence. Their brothers and sister fell in droves as .50 caliber rounds tore through their Aura and rendered them asunder from long range. The Slayer switched to his combat shotgun as he closed in, dodging the White Fang's return fire and the swords from a few brave ones that charged him, each one reduced to flaming pieces as Fire Dust shells tore them apart.

William's fist caught on White Fang's sword, the blade shattering from impact with William's left hook, the Slayer next throwing a right hook into the side of the mook's face hard enough to twist his head right around, with the last he saw were his terrified comrades behind him before their faces exploded as William swung his chainsaw hard enough into their skulls. William next grabbed two more White Fang mooks each by their necks, hoisted them into the air and squeezed hard enough to break their neck, tossing them aside to double-jump in the air and bringing his weight down on another unfortunate Faunus, stomping him into pasted oblivion.

William drew his pistol when he heard an eagle Faunus screech at him as he divebombed him with a flamethrower. Skidding beneath the flames he aimed upward and fired up at the gas tank, igniting the Fire Dust inside and leaving the White Fang to sour through the screaming as he sat one fire before he exploded in a shower of blood, viscera and feathers.

"Blazkowicz!"

Hefting a massive quadruple-barreled heavy machine gun that had twin-chainsaw blades attached behind him as he stepped out of the warehouse was the White Fang Lieutenant, Marlowe. The large Faunus himself was encased in heavy steel plated mechanical armor that an intimidating looking Grimm helmet.

"..." guess he couldn't live without his cock anymore.

"I owe you _pain_!" Marlowe snarled.

Marlowe opened up with high-velocity, armor-piercing rounds, William quickly ducking and sliding to avoid getting minced. Marlowe's bullets tore holes through the empty containers scattered around the docks, through the warehouse walls and equipment. William returned fire, sparks flying as they bounced off Marlowe's armor until he leapt up on top of a forklift, his chainsaw ready. Marlowe revved his HMG's chainsaw blades and swung it at the Slayer as he leapt off the and brought his chainsaw down on the White Fang lieutenant, both blades connecting and Marlowe's blow strong enough to knock the Slayer back and left him skidding backward across the ground.

William switched to his combat shotgun and lobbed an explosive shot at Marlowe's chest platin, winding him. The Slayer rapidly closed the distance, leaping off the ground and driving his knee into Marlowe's faceplate before bringing his fist against his head hard enough to dent the helmet inward and grabbed both sides with intent to crush it.

Marlowe shoved him right off, William taking his helmet with him. The Faunus' face, unmasked, revealed a man that looked like he had put through the worst experience of his life, a week or so after it had happened. Pale skin, sunken eyes, formerly black hair slowly turning grey from the stress and torment that came from being emasculated, reminiscent of how an animal was cut.

"You're no Atlesian superweapon, Blazkowicz. We know _that_ now. You're something worse _._ _Much_ worse," the White Fang lieutenant spat blood and snarled, "You'd be the end of all Faunus kind."

"..." William swapped his assault rifle mod for the missile rack. _Just_ Faunus kind?

Marlowe wiped his mouth before hefting his HMG to unleash another payload. William unloaded his rack of missile that hurtled toward Marlowe, his next barrage obliterating the salvo save one that destroyed the HMG's barrel, leaving him with just his chainsaw-bayonets. The Slayer spun right around Marlowe's swing, grasping his left hand over his right fist and delivering an elbow to the side of his face. The large-bodied Faunus grunted, dropped his chainsaw and countered with an uppercut to the Doom Slayer's chest hard enough to knock him at least a foot into the air before wrapping his arms around the Slayer's chest and performing a high-powered suplex hard enough to crack the asphalt.

Hardly fazed the Slayer charged Marlowe, wrapping his arms around his waist and tackling him into the forklift, Marlowe's fists raining down on his back before grabbed the Slayer's helmet and tore it off. William reddened, furious, bruised scowl burned itself into the White Fang's eyes before William unleashed a flurry of punches into Marlowes face and chest, the sound of metal banging against metal loud enough to be heard even from far off.

Marlowe grabbed William by his left hand before it could strike him in the face again. He yanked it sideways hard enough to throw the Slayer off, leaving the lieutenant to hit him with a straight front kick that sent him flying backward. Marlowe reached for the forklift, grabbing it by the lifting mechanism and swung it at the Doom Slayer as he got back up. William made no effort to dodge, instead to just throw the hardest left hook he could manage that smashed through the metal of the vehicle, his fist tearing open the engine and the sparks igniting the Dust propellant inside. The Doom Slayer forced his way right _through_ the resulting explosion, grabbing Marlowe by his left neck as they were sent flying and drove his knee into his spine, which caused him to reflexively arch his back.

Standing back up right after they hit the ground William's hands had a grip on both sides of the lieutenant's head. And with his right foot against Marlowe's left shoulder and using it as leverage he _pulled_...

 _ **(Warehouse)**_

...hard enough for Marlowe's screaming to raise in pitch as his vocal cords were stretched as head along with much of spinal column was torn out, all watched in gruesome detail over the security monitor by Mercury, Emerald, Neo and Roman in the office. Things became deathly silent as they watched William toss the White Fang lieutenant's head aside as if were less than garbage and headed toward the warehouse, not paying the rest of Marlowe's corpse any mind as it slumped to the ground.

Emerald broke the silence when she covered her mouth, threw herself over to the corner and vomited. More out of terror than the sight of a man getting his head and spine ripped out.

Mercury watched with wide, terrified eyes. _'Just like my old man,'_ he thought, panicked. _'Just like my old man...'_

"Welp, that's enough ultraviolence for me," Roman brushed his hand together. "Time we vacated the premises, right Neo."

Neo nodded and the two of them turned to leave.

"HEY!" Mercury rounded on them. "Nobody's going anywhere!"

Emerald wiped her mouth and declared, "Cinder will beat him. Just watch."

 **(END)**

They heard the sound of the side door being kicked open...

 _ **(The Slayer)**_

...the darkness being the first to greet William as he walked inside, reloading his super shotgun. William closed the door behind him as he ventured into the darkness.

"William Joseph Blazkowicz III," he heard a seductive voice echo around him as he made his way through that dark place. "Sounds a bit like nobility."

"..." William holstered his super shotgun and switched to his combat shotgun.

"You did not seriously expect that I knew you wouldn't come for me," the voice asked. "It must frustrate you that Ozpin kept you in Beacon for so long that you couldn't seek me out much sooner, giving us ample time to prepare for you."

She obviously liked the sound of her own voice.

"You can't be blamed, of course. Finding yourself beneath Ozpin's thumb, it was unavoidable. He offered you his help in fighting the demons. Demons that had known about this world a long time before they sat their tainted foot on it," she went on, the allure in her voice chafing the Slayer. "And they seek power that could spell the end of this world."

"..." he's getting annoyed.

"Power, that _I_ possess."

William heard the voice come from behind and he spun to see a fiery, glowing orb staring back at him from the darkness. William's eyes widened, genuinely surprised as he sensed that power within.

"But I'm getting of myself, William. My name is Cinder Fall. And You can sense that power, can you?" a downlight shone on the two of them, revealing this Cinder to be a young woman with long black hair, golden earrings and amber-colored eyes, in a red form-hugging V-neck minidress, walking toward him all seductive like.

"..." William eyes narrowed in resignation.

Yep, _they're doing this_.

"It must remind you of home. Or at least few shattered rocks floating in Hell that used to be called your home," the woman smirked and lifted her right hand and willing the Fire Dust sewn into her dress to encompass it in flame, enhanced with the power of Autumn within her. She made sure the Slayer got a good look at her and the power she wielded. Power that can be seen like a flame in her right eye.

...she really had to mention D'Nur?

... _blasphemy_.

"You have seen what the Wraiths are capable of?" Then she made an even bigger mistake that was speaking down to him condescendingly as if he were a child. And she smiling, "And you wouldn't want to do anything to make-"

 _ **EXPLOSIVE SHOT TO THE FACE!**_

"CINDER!" Emerald screamed, hitting the button to turn the warehouse lights back on.

Roman cringed, "...shit." He turned to Neo, "Time to go?"

Neo nodded and the two of them made their way out the back, Emerald and Mercury paying no mind to them as Cinder took a round to the face.

Cinder's Aura was able to absorb the flames from William's shot, but not the explosive force that sent her flying straight through two shipping crates and making impact with the wall at the far end off the warehouse, leaving a body sized indention.

"...w-what?" Cinder muttered in a daze. She grinded her teeth and closed her eyes tightly as he briefly entered a state of denial, right before he opened them back up, the power of the Fall Maiden blazing within her.

 _ **OCCULTIVATED  
DUSK OST, ANDREW HULSHULT  
(0:23-)**_

"You...!" she opened her eyes and the fire nearly erupted out of them _**"YOU!"**_

William had his chainsaw out and went right after her. Cinder willed her Maiden powers to ignite the Dust that was woven into her clothes and she began lobbing fireballs straight the Slayer. William dodged the first two, swung his chainsaw to destroy the third one, but took the fourth one in the arm. And it was hot enough to superheat the suit's armor plating, William clamped his mouth shut to avoid crying out in pain.

' _That hurt!'_ William thought, looking at his arm and how superheated red it appeared. _'Maiden powers feels exactly like a Wraith's.'_

Cinder ducked underneath William's swing of the chainsaw and _leapt_ up into the air as she summoned her bow and fired three explosive fire arrows the melted the containers, they made impact with. William shot her with his super shotgun, the impact knocking her out of the hair, but her Aura held but didn't block out the pain as she slammed into the wall.

She opened her eyes just in time to a pair of glowing silver eyes staring at her through the visor, barely swerving her head to avoid his swing of his chainsaw which tore the brick out of the wall. She threw a high kick that struck the Slayer across his visor, her heel knocking his head back and she followed up with a blast of flame. He turned his chainsaw sideways to shield himself from the blast that sent him skidding backward into one of the cargo containers.

"...ack!" William grunted, tasting iron in his mouth due to biting his tongue. _'Shit, almost as strong as Ozpin. And she's, what, half-a-Maiden?'_ He didn't want to think what would happen if she had all of the Fall Maiden's power. If her blasts can actually superheat his Hell-forged then...that could be a problem.

Believing she had the advantage Cinder smirked. "Y-"

And she was promptly smacked across the face by the door the Slayer tore from the rest of the container and using it to shield himself from another blast of the power of Autumn, which melted the steel right in half and he hurled the pieces straight at Cinder. The False Maiden leapt up into the air, her bow in hand and unleashing a hail of fiery arrows she landed on top of the highest container that a view of the entire warehouse. William sprinted after her, dodging each of her arrow before he double-jumped on top of the containers and mantled his way to the top of where she was.

Cinder felt her left eyes twitch as she stared down the Doom Slayer, Grimm Marine _whatever_ the hell this thing was. Snarling she charged him, her scroll in hand as she skidded across the container surface as William swung his chainsaw, Cinder hand on her scroll as she a button, killing the lights in the warehouse and leaving them in pitch blackness.

"I know what you're thinking!" Cinder hissed loudly. "Ozpin's been telling you a lot of things, I imagine but I assure you: I've always been meant to have this power, and I'm the only one whom can wield it properly."

"..." William said nothing.

"You chafe being told what to do, where you can and can't go, being threatened by Atlesian authorities threatening to put you on ice," Cinder went on, trying to hardest to not let desperation sink into her voice. "I know you are. And it doesn't have to be this way, not when there's bigger things to worry like, and invasion from Hell itself." That smirking confidence found it's way back to her. "And we're destined for great things, you and I. And that is what Ozpin in afraid. Him, his little circle, Beacon Academy. They're holding you back! And I can set you free."

"..."

Her opponent's silence was absolutely maddening. William caught a glimpse of a fiery glare through the darkness pointed at him. And Cinder grounded out, "Say. _Something_."

"..."

"I know what you're thinking, but I assure you: I _**EARNT**_ THIS POWER!" suddenly she was screaming in fury, believing that her opponent thought that she wasn't worth responding to. "AND I _**DESERVE**_ WHAT'S COMING-"

Cinder was rocketed up through the warehouse as William's uppercut made impact with her jaw. She crashed back through some feet away, smashing through another container of Dust. Her resulting angry discharge of power ignited the Dust, William jumping off the container and sailing through the out of the way as the entire back of the warehouse was blown to oblivion. The explosion was big enough and loud enough rock the entire City of Vale.

 **(END)**

William managed to land on his feet, just avoiding the flaming debris as as they scattered all over what was left of the warehouse. This left Cinder staggering out of the flames, her Aura depleted and she collapsed, exhausted She groaned and tried to crawl away, before feeling William's foot come down on the leg. She turned around and gasped as William towered over her.

"Wait," she cried. "Wait, don't-"

William noticed Cinder's eyes not focused on him, rather on Mercury as he swung his undamaged leg at him. Taking his foot off Cinder and spun around a caught it.

The Slayer gripped Mercury's right foot, with both hands. The mercenary paled when he realized what was coming next, but he still gritted his teeth and snarled in defiance, and bellowed in agony when the Slayer twisted his mechanical leg and tore it straight from the bone, the sound of steel and cartilage breaking followed by metal making contact with skull as he struck him down. Mercury groaned and tried to push himself up, only to be repeatedly beaten over the head with his own leg until he was left a dazed wreck on the floor. And William would have driven it through his skull if it hadn't been torn out of his hands by Emerald and her kusarigamas.

"ENOUGH, YOU BASTARD!" Emerald screamed as she unleashed a hail of whips that scraped the paint of William's Praetor suit, one lucky blow managing to land a crack on his visor. William dodged another series of blows, switching to his heavy assault rifle. Emerald dodged to avoid his barrage, her weapons switching to their revolver configurations as she leapt from the ground and ran across the wall before traversing the sides of the containers, firing away at the Slayer as she ran circle around him and glaring intensely at him as she worked her Semblance.

And William was seeing _multiple_ Emeralds, and had taken his finger off the trigger and just took Emerald's shots to his chest and arm plating. Then, all the Emeralds threw themselves at him at once, their revolvers morphing into sickles with the intent to piece him through the neck. William smirked, turned and grabbed one Emerald by the throat, the others fading as William squeezed.

"No...no...!" Emerald choked out His right fist cracked as he balled before he swung it into her face, her right eye practically exploding in blood as he collapsed her eye socket before she smacked against the ground. Groaning, she managed to pick herself back up and staggered forward toward the Doom Slayer, lifting the revolver in her left hand. She then threw up out of terror, let out a hiccup and toppled over backward, blood running from her mutilated eye.

William turned toward Cinder, the woman trying to crawl away and hoping he would have too busy obliterating her lackeys. She shrieked in pain as William put her foot down on her lift leg and pinned her to the ground. Cinder's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull, at first more out of disbelief that she had been defeated and beaten down so hard. Fear crept in when she could see the Slayer's black look through his visor, nothing but absolute hatred in his eyes and that desire to end her. It evolved into near pants-wetting terror when he grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against a shipping container full of Dust.

She felt nauseous as she struggled to force the words of her mouth, "...help..."

The Slayer narrowed his eyes and pressed the super shotgun against her gut.

 _ **++Terminate her. Her Maiden powers should automatically be returned back to it's original owner,++**_ VEGA stated the obvious. _**++And we will have eliminated another critical threat.++**_

"...help...me... _ma'am_..."

The sensors in his boots indicated someone wrapped her hand over it. Her right hand covering her bleeding right eye socket, Emerald looked pleadingly up at the Doom Slayer.

"...don't kill her..." Emerald cried, pained tears rolling down her face. "Please...don't kill her..."

Cinder gritted her teeth and summoned a dagger made of Fire Dust and tried jabbing it into the side of head, only for the blade to shatter against his helmet. She let out a choked gasp of surprise as William lowered his super shotgun and instead decided to strangle her with both hands.

Cinder felt the edge of her vision blacken as her arms grew limp. Then suddenly she could breathe again when the Slayer's hands were forced from her neck by the Grimm hand that materialized underneath them. Cinder dropped to the ground and managed to weakly pull herself to safety along with Emerald as the Slayer was dragged down into a black pit, Grimm hands around his arms and legs and him struggling to break himself free until he completely disappeared beneath the floor.

The False Maiden was left in a coughing fit, struggling not to burst into enraged, humiliated tears as she struggled against that hated feeling of vulnerability, compounded when she noticed the Grimm Seer slowly approach her from the shadows and hovered before her.

Cinder glared at the Seer. "You...all this time you _watched_?" she forced out breathlessly.

" _Merely to see what you, and him, were capable with the powers gifted to the both of you. And_ you _left me_ _disappointed_ _."_

Cinder looked at the Seer in disbelief, "I...I..."

" _Whatever happened to becoming strong, feared and powerful?"_

"..." Cinder looked at the ground and frowned.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Unknown)**_

' _Count to four, inhale. Count to four, exhale...'_

William repeated those words in his head over and over, steadily breathing in and out as he continued to feel himself pulled down into the darkness, his vision obscured by black. Just like those final moments after he was sealed into the sarcophagus and he was plunged into millennia of nightmares – his 'silent suffering' as it had been.

He felt his vision return to normalcy as he was dropped into the warehouse sub-basement from the ceiling. More Grimm hands emerged from far wall and grabbed him by the arms and legs, pulling him back and slamming him into the wall and he was held in place. He felt the Grimm's grip on him tighten the more he struggled against them.

" _Don't struggle. You are only going to hurt yourself.'_

William ceased his struggling when he heard _Her_ voice. Emerging from the darkness in the poorly lit room was a Grimm that resembled a blackish-red jellyfish, it's long red tendrils looking sharp enough to pierce flesh and bone. The Seer floated toward William until it was close enough for William to see his own reflection in it. The Seer suddenly wrapped it's tendrils around his helmet and tore it off him, exposing his bruised, battered face to the air once again.

" _William Joseph Blazkowicz III,"_ the Voice said. _"This is the face of a someone from another world. You look human enough."_ She sounded smug, _"And I know there are people who refuse to treat you as such. Namely, Ozpin and his little circle."_

The Slayer just stared hard at the Seer. How did she know his name?

"..." he narrowed his eyes. _Someone_ on Ozpin's 'little circle' **squealed**.

" _Do you know who I am?"_

The red smoke within the Seer manifested within the Grimm, revealing the face of William's enemy: A mockery of a human woman with a deathly pallor, covered with deep red and purple veins that ran up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes were jet black and her irises glowed red. A black diamond-shaped marking was in the center of her forehead. Her white hair was arranged in a bun with six offshoots from which ornaments were suspended.

Salem couldn't look any more demonic, William decided.

Salem smiled, _"Of course you do. Ozpin has already told you so much about me. Or...as much as he deems necessary."_ Her smiled faded, _"Doubtless, you know there are so many things he should be telling you, about this world, about himself, and me."_

"..." William kept silent.

Salem frowned, insulted by the Slayer's silence, _"You're allowed to speak. It's rude to not answer whenever someone is talking to you."_

William didn't. "..."

" _Is that the Chief Priestess' firstborn?"_

" _..."_

" _...he's so quiet. He's not bawling his eyes like his brother."_

" _Look at him. Brave boy, standing there and holding a vigil with his father Stan..."_

" _...he used to be happiest boy there is..."_

" _...just like his mother..."_

" _Looks like her death broke him worse than his grandfather."_

" _Who cares about Quirinus? That wife-beating bastard..."_

" _Aelia was the only good thing to come about of the Ateius family. Her and the Patriarch..."_

" _Shhh...he...William will hear you..."_

" _..."_

She brushed it off. _"The both of us have enough enemies in this world it would be pointless to add one another to our lists,"_ explained Salem. _"I know you are smart enough to not take Ozpin, or anything he says, at face value. He fears you. He fear how you would react if you knew the truth about our conflict. A conflict you inadvertently stumbled into when you brought your own war to this world."_

Was she seriously trying to sway him onto her side?

Salem glared, _"The demons, I've felt them. They are nothing this world has ever dealt with. The way my creations are turned by them I fear I may inevitably lose control. And without me to keep them in check they lay waste to this world, before they fall under demonic control."_ She paused to try and look as sympathetic as she could manage, _"That is something not even the power of the Maidens and the Relics could even hope to counter."_

Relics?

" _Oh,"_ Salem smiled, feigning sympathy. " _You don't know about the Relics? Ozpin hasn't informed you about the four gifts to humanity as bestowed by the gods themselves? Bestowed by his masters? The gifts of knowledge, creation, destruction and choice. Were Hell to get it's hands on them, they would be granted power beyond what they even dream of getting from the Maidens."_ She paused, _"They are each located within the Huntsman Academies. Ozpin keeps the Crown of Choice somewhere in Beacon."_

William felt that chill of realization that Shade Academy was still under sieged by the portal still open in Vacuo.

Salem guessed his thoughts, _"And it only would be a matter of time before the demons get their hands on the Sword of Destruction. And who knows what they would be able to do with that kind of power in their hands."_ She smirked, _"Then again, you have already seen what Hell is capable of, haven't you?"_

William growled, knowing she was referring to Argent D'Nur.

" _Do not make the mistake of believing I am trying to deceive you, that is what Ozpin would want you to think. I am merely dissuading you from following him, however, by appealing to your common sense,"_ Salem said. _"Would a good, sane man with an actual plan for the future of this world keep such knowledge from the most powerful warrior in the universe?"_

"..."

" _No, he would not,"_ Salem went on. _"And I am the not only to realize that. You've met Cinder and her followers. You've fought them. And you know how far they would go to do what must be done for our world's future."_ She smiled, _"I am willing to forgive the agony, the mutilations, you have inflicted upon them. And I would grant you the power to continue fighting an enemy I admit would be greater than Ozpin and even the gods that abandoned Remnant."_

She paused again. William could see her teeth bared as she smiled.

" _Right after they exterminated every last human on this planet."_

William broke his eyes contact with Salem and he found himself staring at the ground, eyes quivering. It was all so familiar to him.

One of the Seer's tendrils went under his chin and lifted it up so Salem was looking at him in his eyes again. Another tendril hovered inches away from his left eye. _"Hmm...silver eyes. But, so dull, so lifeless, as if the light has gone out within them. Within you,"_ Again she tried to look sympathetic. _"You hurt, don't you? I know that pain all too well."_ She looked sad, actually. " _Loss_."

"..." William blinked. Salem actually sounded sincere. About _loss_.

" _We can make it all go away. We don't have to hurt anymore. So what do you say, William?"_

That sincerity too faded when she suddenly became frustrated, _"Say something."_ She glared _. "Or am I so below the feared and terrible Doom Slayer that I am not worthy to be spoken to as an equal?"_

Doom Slayer? They got a hold of the UAC Codex? William gritted his teeth.

Someone's head was going to roll

But first. Salem had a temper. He inwardly smirked when decided to step on it.

"...yes."

More Grimm claws emerged from the wall and wrapped themselves around his head, neck and torso. He found himself being dragged into the wall and back into the darkness. He could hear Salem and her arrogance when she declared, _"If I can't persuade you to turn on the man that holds your strains, then I'll just have to make you more agreeable."_

As hard as he struggled, William couldn't stop himself from being swallowed up by the dark.

" _For starters, we can do something about that horrid personality of yours. By erasing whatever drives you,"_ Salem sounded so assured of herself. _"And I will find that in your memories."_

William found himself floating in a void, feeling vulnerable like she was trying to find her way into her head.

" _Your mind is like an open book to me. I just need to rewrite a few pages, tear out a few more and...what? Wait..."_ Salem sounded troubled as the void shifted around him _. "...no...I don't want to go...NO! WHAT ARE YOU-?! LET ME GO! LET ME-NO!"_

Suddenly, Salem was _screaming_ in fear. The void shifted to red...

" _LET ME OUT! LET ME_ _ **OUTTTTTTT**_ _!"_

William saw himself hurtle through a fiery chasm, Salem's screaming being heard in the distance like she too was falling. The darkness soon faded from his eyes as if he was coming out of a tunnel and he was back int that dank room, still stuck to the wall with the goddamn Grimm hands around his arms and legs. The Slayer could see Salem visibly shaken through the Seer, her eyes quivering with fright and mouth opening and closing as she struggled to say something. She looked at her hands in disbelief, like she couldn't believe they were real, and she didn't just spend close to an eternity lost in the Doom Slayer's memories.

" _You...you're a..."_ Salem gasped, as if she realized _whom_ she was dealing with.

A mocking half-smile found itself on William's face, "Scary in _there_?"

" _You...you shouldn't be here..."_ Salem gritted her teeth and William could see her ball her hands into fists. " _H-how do you even exist...?"_ She shut her eyes in a vain attempt at denial. _"Y-you brought_ _ **them**_ _here...it's all because of you...you."_

A whine could be heard coming out of her mouth before face practically took up the Seer's whole 'screen' and she screamed in rage. Rage, and what could pass for _grief_.

" _ **YOU'RE A MONSTER!"**_

The Seer's tendrils wrapped around his throat as it went about trying to strangle him to death. Barely reacting to have the shar points of the tendrils digging into his neck William tore his arms and legs away from the Grimm hands that kept him tethered to the wall, ripping them apart in the process. Alarmed, Salem willed the Seer to strangle him harder; he gripped them with both hands, squeezed tightly and tore them right off the Seer, sucking in air and tossing the severed appendage away where they disintegrated.

Terrified, Salem could only splutter denials as William saw her step back away from the Seer's 'screen', _"N-no, this...this is...we're the same! YOU AND I, WE'RE THE SA-!"_

Salem's terrified visage was the last thing William saw before he put his fist through the Seer's body, punching the black right out the back of it's material form before it disintegrated. William groaned and rubbed the back of his skull, his headache beginning to move to the front of head just around his eyes.

The 'same', huh? Heading toward the steel door leading out of the room, William imagined himself correcting that eventually once he got his hands on the witch.

 _ **++We have just seen the enemy,++**_ VEGA said _ **. ++I will begin devising the appropriate countermeasures to be used in the near future. Hopefully up until she is no longer considered a threat, her ego can be...**_ _ **exploited**_ _ **for our benefit++**_

"...whatever."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Infirmary, Beacon Academy)**_

"Alright, Mr. Branwen. You're due for another painkill-oh, dammit!"

To the nurse's frustration, once again Qrow wasn't resting in bed.

He was long gone.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : _First upload of the year._ _And nearly every villain in RWBY just got ripped a new one. ^_^_

 _Sorry for the delay, had to make sure I was able to fit the fight with Cinder in there and Salem realizing she's no longer the scariest thing on Remnant anymore. As much as I wanted to kill off more than one of the villains (not like I needed the White Fang Lieutenant around anymore) the plot still needs them alive...if only to torture them some more later._

 _As for the villains underestimating the Doom Slayer to near suicidal levels, well, they are_ _ **that**_ _arrogant, condescending and overconfident in canon so...it was up to William to beat it out of them._

 _I'm just realized the Doom Slayer, Salem and Ozpin each have a lot of things in common..._

 _I've had some people PM me, saying that this fic would be awesome if it was animated. Heh, it'd be the goriest web animation of all time, rivalling the likes of all that anime OVA schlock from the 80s/early 90s. I'd give examples but...I don't want you seeing things you'd never be able to un-see._

 _Concerning my made up Ungmar codex entry last chapter, I hope that wasn't revealing too much too soon. I watched 'The Lost Fable' and my mind just clicked. I can totally imagine the Doom Slayer taking on the God of Darkness at some point._

 _And yeah, I named the original Doomguy Stan,_ _ **Stan Blazkowicz**_ _. Both William Joseph Blazkowicz III and Stan Blazkowicz are shout outs to the Doom RPG series._

 _Next chapter: The finale of this arc._


	20. Demon Seed VIII: Hellbound

_**v.2**_

* * *

 _ **(**_ _ **Headmaster's Office, Beacon Tower)  
(Beacon Academy)**_

 _ **++...they have been tracked to the warehouse sector at the docks, Professor Ozpin. We are presently en-route and may require assistance if the targets attempt to flee.++**_

Ozpin downed what was left in his mug and replied, "Understood, VEGA. If possible, keep at least one of Amber's attackers alive long enough to be questioned until we arrive."

 _ **++...that is something I am**_ _ **unable**_ _ **to guarantee, Professor.++**_

"That is unfortunate."

 _ **++There is something else. We were confronted by an android.++**_

"'Android'?"

 _ **++An robotic artificial human being with an Aura, Atlesian design.**_ **She** _ **identified herself as acting under the authority of General Ironwood and ordered Blazkowicz to surrender.++**_

"...I see. What is it's status?"

 _ **++Still functioning. Blazkowicz merely shoved it aside.++**_

"...we'll see you at the docks as soon as possible."

 _ **++End of line.++**_

Once VEGA had ceased communicating, Ozpin balled his left hand into a fist and he scowled down at his personal terminal, tempted to call up Ironwood and demand answers.

' _James, you fool,'_ Ozpin thought, embittered.

Ozpin's scroll received another call.

"Bart?"

" _Peter and I are awaiting you at the airpad, Professor Ozpin,"_ Port proclaimed, jovial as ever. _"Grimm. Demon. Cultist. After tonight, not a single one shall be left standing."_

"I wish I shared your enthusiasm for wholesale slaughter," Ozpin remarked. "And our backup?"

" _They shall meet us at the docks."_

"...including?"

"He's _agreed to help, in spite of his...colorful choice of words directed toward you."_

"I wouldn't blame Hazel in the slightest," Ozpin got up from his desk and headed toward the elevator. "See you soon." He dialed another number as he descended towards the first floor. "Glynda, it's time."

" _...I know where I need to be, Ozpin,"_ Glynda sounded resigned. _"But there can't seriously be more of them at Beacon."_

"Hopefully not. Hopefully no one will make an attempt on Amber's life if they think there's no one to protect her. Hopefully..." he paused when the doors opened to reveal Glynda holding her scroll. "Hopefully VEGA's made at least _one_ mistake tonight."

Glynda nodded and stepped aside as Ozpin left the elevator. She stepped in and made sure to close the door before she accessed the Vault.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Team JNPR's Room, Dormitories)**_

 _ **HATE! ANGER! RAGE! BLOOD! GORE! KILL...**_

"...shut up..." Jaune hissed through clenched teeth as he sorted through his new Hunter's uniform – which was just his armor over another Pumpkin Pete brand black hoodie.

The voices in his head were becoming louder...

"Jaune?" And they faded once he heard Pyrrha's voice.

Jaune exhaled, "Yeah, I'm still hearing _them_."

Pyrrha swallowed as she felt concerned Pulling his uniform undershirt over his head, Ren stated, "You should probably talk to Blazkowicz about that."

"Yeah, in case... _oh_..." Nora began, only to be momentarily distracted by Ren's bare chest. Shaking her head as she felt her face burn, she turned away from as she bit her lip before she continued. "...it turns out that magical burning sphere that possessed you is somehow still inside you and is slowly, gradually, manipulating you into carrying out its-"

"I get it, Nora," Jaune snapped. "I'm just...scared about how he'd react." He frowned, _'Just like how he'd react if he found out how I really got into Beacon. He looks the kind of guy that wouldn't keep that a secret.'_

"He wouldn't try anything if I had anything to say about," Pyrrha reassured him.

Jaune smiled, "Thanks."

Nora blinked, "Um...you two have been keeping up with current events, right? What with Blazko being death incarnate and-" Nora's scroll suddenly rang and saw it was VEGA. "Oh, evenin' VEGA."

 _ **++Team JNPR, your steel is needed once again.++**_

"...say what?"

 _ **++Threat imminent to Beacon Academy security. As you and Team CFVY have experience dealing with demonic threats, your assistance is required.++**_

"What about RWBY?" Ren queried.

 _ **++Team RWBY is currently occupied...++**_

 _ **(Team C(F)VY's Room)**_

 _ **++...dealing with another threat outside Beacon.++**_

Coco stared incredulously at her scroll. Fox's remains had barely started to decompose and they have to deal with the demons _again_?

That wasn't all that Coco was angry about. "You sent a team of _freshmen_ outside Beacon for a mission?""

 _ **++They will be momentarily supported by experienced Huntsmen, namely Professor Ozpin and a few of the other faculty, as well as Blazkowicz,++**_ VEGA briefed. _**++The sudden absence of experienced hands will most likely draw cultic attention and they will take advantage.++**_

Velvet already had her camera and box out. "Where?"

 _ **++Beacon Tower.++**_

Yatuhashi ran a cloth over his greatsword, "Why _there_?"

 _ **(Team JNPR's Room)**_

"What's waiting for us there?" Pyrrha inquired.

 _ **++The reason why Hell has come to this world,++**_ VEGA answered. His tone sounded reflective, for an AI at least. _**++If you are willing, head to Beacon Tower. Professor Goodwitch will be waiting down below.++**_

VEGA terminated the call, leaving Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren a mix of feelings – dread, uncertainty, _confusion_.

"Below?" Nora asked out loud. "Below where? Beacon Tower?"

"..." Jaune closed his eyes and sighed. "Guys?"

"Jaune?" Ren said.

"...what do you want to do?"

Pyrrha recoiled in surprise, "W-what do you mean?"

"We were trusted with something...I dunno...important, _world-shattering_ I guess," Jaune related, unsure. "And it sounded like VEGA gave us a choice to either go through with it or to walk away." He reached for Crocoa Mors and handled it like it was something precious to him. "I...I can't walk away."

Jaune felt Pyrrha's hand on his shoulder, "Neither can I."

"TA-DA!"

Everyone saw that Nora already had her new Huntress uniform laid out on her bed: Black/white colored flak armor with elbow guards, cargo pants with knee protectors and combat boots.

Ren smiled, "You're coming too?"

"No doi!"

 _ **(Team C(F)VY)**_

Team C(F)VY were already back in their Hunter uniform, weapons primed.

"If there's more demons to kill," Coco had her handbag slung over her shoulder. " _Joy_."

(RWBY)

 **Demon Seed VIII:  
Hellbound**

 _The screams of the God of Light's children as the broken pieces of their souls were flung into the nether was the sweet cacophony that gave us our existence. It was those screams of pain as the darkness burned us from the inside, followed by cries of despair as we floated in the blackness, before finally our howls of rage were heard. The darkness twisted within us, those pieces reformed and we were reborn. And we remade the nether into our Hell...  
_ _ **\- Excerpt from the Ungmar Codex**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Vale City)**_

"Are you sure that's all you have to say to us?"

Ruby tried, and failed, to not look sheepish as she was questioned by one of the detectives. Vale law enforcement had arrived minutes after William had left an alley fall of White Fang corpses and one facially-challenged survivor, the spider Faunus quickly loaded onto an ambulance and taken to the hospital, under police escort. This left Team RWBY to deal with all the questioning.

The Reaper swallowed, "Yeah, we were looking for our friend and we stumbled across h-all these dead White Fang-"

The detective sighed, " _Stop_ , alright. We already know _who_ is responsible for these dead Faunus. We just need to know if _He's_ going to be heading this way again anytime soon." A Faunus corpse in a body-bag was wheeled right past them, almost serving as emphasis.

"Heh," Ruby smiled nervously. "If there aren't any more White Fang to shoot at, maybe?"

The detective looked unimpressed. The detective glanced over at Blake, herself being questioned by another detective, "And your _friend_?"

"She's with us!" Ruby answered a little too quickly, and too loudly. "She's with us," she repeated a bit quieter.

Under the scrutinous gaze of both her team and law enforcement, Blake was like a deer caught in the headlights, looking to bolt at any given moment. The varied looks her team gave her didn't help – Ruby and Yang looked sympathetic while Weiss appeared acrimonious toward her. Blake's cat ears involuntarily twitched as she tried to think of something to say.

"Blake Belladonna does not have any affliction with the White Fang, officers," Penny suddenly cut in, smilingly.

"...what?" Blake turned to Penny, surprised.

Everyone looked like they had suddenly forgotten Penny was still there, and unharmed after being put through a wall.

"I'm sorry, who are you again, little girl?" the detective queried.

"Penny Poledina, exchange student from Atlas. Here to compete in the Vytal Festival Tournament," Penny replied, enthusiastically. "I saw everything that happened."

"And you were found buried beneath rubble," the detective pointed out. "Did Blazkowicz-?"

"Oh, no. He didn't harm me."

"Eh?" Weiss blanched, remembering that Blazkowicz had backhanded Penny right through the wall. Technically, she was telling the truth. "But he-?"

" _Unharmed_ , yes sir," Penny declared louder.

The sound of massive explosion nearly caused every eardrum to burst, every window to shatter, every car alarm to go off and the very ground to tremble.

"AH!" Ruby cried and covered her ears. "AHH!" she cried again as Yang instinctively threw herself over her, pinning her to the ground and covering her with her body protectively. "YANG!?"

"That sounded close!" Yang exclaimed.

Penny, unperturbed by the explosion, looked up into the air, her face looking dead serious. "The Dust explosion came from the docks."

"Dust!?" one of the detectives cried. "How do you-?"

"That must've been a _lot_ of Dust," Yang cried. "Like, a _whole_ lot."

Weiss frowned, "Am entire dock warehouse full of-?" She gasped, and seethed angrily when she realized, "The White Fang. It must be where they are stashing all of their stolen Dust." She turned to Blake, "Right?"

"I...I don't know," Blake stuttered. "I..."

"C'MON!" Ruby exclaimed. "To the docks!"

"Hold on, you kids aren't going-!" the detective tried to stop them but Team RWBY disappeared in a heartbeat. The older man grunted in frustration, realizing he and the rest of the law enforcement were left with all the bodies, "Fuckin' teenagers." He noticed Penny was still present, "Hey."

"I guess I should be going, too," Penny announced before running off.

"HEY!"

The detective chased her around the corner of the alleyway, to find she had disappeared.

"...fuckin' Huntresses."

(RWBY)

 _ **(Approaching the Docks...)**_

Adam had nearly choked on the pills he was taking when the explosion rocked the bullhead he and his cohorts were sitting in. He coughed into his eyes and banged his fist on the ceiling, "What just happened?"

" _Torchwick's warehouse just went up!"_

"Yeah, I _thought_ I felt that," Adam deadpanned. "Anything else?"

" _Can't see anything past the smoke. Lemme' try and angle around and-oh shit..."_

"What?!" Adam cried. Growling in frustration he hit the button to open the cabin door.

Brushing the smoke away he saw all the dead White Fang scattered outside the warehouse, and Marlowe in his heavy suit with his head and spine torn out. Adam's mouth gaped in horror at the sight, before he gnashed his teeth and tightened his grip on Wilt's handle.

"It's _him_ ," one of the White Fang with him cried. "It's fucking _him,_ isn't it!?"

"...we're going down there," Adam declared. Each of his minions took an _involuntarily_ step back. Adam didn't miss this. "Well?"

"Are you crazy?" that same White Fang mook shouted. "If Marlowe couldn't handle that freak, what chance do we-ACK!?"

He found himself being throttled one-handed by his boss. Adam yelled in his face, "You can handle either the _freak_ or _**ME**_!"

"Adam!" another White Fang cried, outraged at his behavior.

"Take us down!" Adam exclaimed at the pilot.

Adam leapt out of the bullhead before it could even touch down. He rolled his eyes downward at each eviscerated Faunus corpse he passed by, his grip on his sword's hilt the tightest it's ever been, not bothered by the flaming debris burning all around. He heard the sound of a something shattering and he look ahead toward what remained of the warehouse.

He couldn't keep the smirk off his face when he saw Cinder stumbling out of the warehouse, dragging both her lackeys by their feet. Mercury had one of legs ripped and looked like he had been beaten with it while Emerald looked like she had punched in the eye socket hard enough to burst the orb. Cinder dropped them when she noticed the White Fang approaching her.

"Change of plans," Cinder declared.

Adam nodded, "I know." He drew his chokutō slightly out of its scabbard. "Our arrangement just came to a fiery end."

"…what?" Cinder growled. The White Fang had their guns pointed straight at her. "You dare?"

"You don't look so _hot_ , Cinder. Was Blazkowicz more than you can handle?"

"He's not anyone's problem now," Cinder said. "So sheathe that thing and let's get out of-"

Adam smirked, "I don't think we'll be needing your help burning Beacon to the ground, after all. We already moved most of the Dust to the location you sent us, so we'll be taking it and putting it to good use."

"You realize you need me if you want to strike that blow against humanity?" Cinder's voice lowered to a more sinister sounding octave. "And what I can do to y-"

She felt Wilt against her cheek. Adam's quickdraw had been fast enough for her to not notice it.

"I'm tired of listening to your voice, human," Adam growled. "And it looks like Blazkowicz' softened you just enough for me to-"

Another explosion tore itself out of the warehouse, the Doom Slayer leaping out from the flames.

"No..." Cinder's heart stopped beating when the saw the glow of his eyes through his visor. That brief, silver glow that not even Salem could extinguish that promised a world of hurt for _her_. Cinder felt both her hands shake, fight-or-flight kicking itself into high gear where she would have made a beeline for the White Fang's bullhead and fly as fast and as far away from Vale as possible.

Her burning hatred for the Slayer proved stronger. She stood her ground, her eyes burning with the Maiden's power as she summoned what little she could still wield control over in spite of pain and exhaustion. Four muzzles flashes from both an energy pistol and a heavy assault rifle inflicted glare on her eyes, the blood of the White Fang mooks spraying all over her as their heads and chests exploded. And they were dripping off Adam's coat as he charged at the Slayer.

 _ **++WARNING: Target is gathering energies towards his weapons. He will attempt to use his Semblance.++**_

William drew his chainsaw and swung it in time to deflect Wilt when Adam fired it from Blush. Adam caught Wilt as he slid right past the Slayer and sliced him vertically up the back, the energy in his blade intense enough to leave a molten cut across the armor. He discharged Blush into the Slayer's shoulder as he turned, knocking him back into the burning warehouse.

Adam smirked confidently and followed him in. The Slayer narrowed his eyes intensely. No grandstanding, no xenophobia, no big speech pushing Faunus superiority. The half-breed was actually taking him seriously now. Adam slashed him across his wrist, and he saw the molten effect on his armor.

His _impenetrable Hell-forged armor._

 _ **++ANALYSIS: He is channeling his Semblance into smaller, faster strikes. He intends to chip away at your Praetor suit gradually, focusing on specific, vital parts.++**_

It took that one big strike to actually nick him, and send a microscopic amount of Hell-forged into his bloodstream that sent him into a fever. Adam kept slashing away at William, keeping him on guard until the Slayer grabbed Wilt by the point, gripped it hard and punched Adam hard in the chest and back out through the warehouse wall.

Adam panicked when he realized William still had Wilt. The Slayer followed him out, his free hand still gripping Wilt by the blade. Cinder unleashed a barrage of fireballs, hitting the Slayer in the hand, and causing him to drop the sword. Adam did a double take between the Slayer and the False Maiden, Cinder giving him a nod.

"RAARGH!" Adam exclaimed and charged forward, grabbing Wilt and dodging another swing of the chainsaw. He found himself dodging high-caliber assault rifle rounds as William opened fire, Cinder's fireballs keeping himself moving just as much as both Adam and Cinder took him on. William focused on Cinder first. Rushing toward her he shed his chainsaw and performed a combat slide underneath Adam's swing and emptying what was left in the magazine in Cinder's direction, wearing down her already weakened Aura. Drawing his combat knife he got back up as Cinder shouted in anger and threw a flaming straight punch. He grabbed her by her elbow and drove his combat knife through her wrist. Aura breaking, blood splattering and Cinder screaming in pain before William pulled his knife out and would have slashed her across the throat if Adam hadn't slashed at him.

Not enough time to use Cinder as a human shield William instead blocked with his knife, the blade snapping in half. William leapt backward, grabbing his chainsaw off the ground and getting back into a defensive stance.

 _ **(Warehouse Rooftop)**_

"Right, we're here! Keep an eye for...whoa..."

Team RWBY had pushed themselves to reach the docks, and here they were perched up atop one of the warehouses to catch a glimpse of the fire, and William fighting two other figures at once – woman in a red dress flinging fireballs at him and what appeared to be bull Faunus wearing a mask and carrying a sword, taking turns to attack and back off before William managed to one-up the lady in red and impale her wrist, leaving himself with only the bull Faunus to deal with.

"No!" Blake exclaimed when she saw all the dead White Fang scattered all over the docks. She thought her heart stop when she recognized Adam, her instinct to run never been stronger than it was now.

"I...I know that Faunus!" Weiss exclaimed. "He's led attacks against SDC property for years-"

"Blake?" Yang noticed she went pale.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Blake whimpered.

Weiss scowled. "Wait, you know him?" She glared, "Is he the reason you're here in the first place"

Blake shook his head, "We...we can't be here." She took a step back, "We need to leave, right now."

"No, I'm not leaving William!" Ruby cried. "I'm gonna go help him!"

"NO!" Blake cried. "You'll just get in his way!"

"That's why we're here in the first place, remember?!" Ruby shouted. "I-"

"Jeez, can you scream any louder, little girl?"

They just noticed the cloaked figure standing at the other end of the warehouse roof. The cloak was the color red, covering what appeared to be crimson, ornate, runic power armor etched with demonic markings. Carrying the Unmaker with one hand Team RWBY could see the razor-sharp smirk underneath his hood. Ruby throat tightened in fear, her trigger finger the itchiest it's ever been, figuratively speaking.

"Isn't this a school night, _children_?" Marcus Black asked.

Yang's eyes were glued to that demonic-looking weapon that looked like a cross between a laser rifle and a ribcage. "What the fuck is _that_?"

Ruby shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper-rifle configuration and fired, Marcus leaping out of the trajectory of the bullet and...

 _ **UNLEASING A HAIL OF HELL-INFUSED LASER BEAMS THAT TORE THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAREHOUSE ROOFTOP, THE CRIMSON FLASHES LIGHTNING THE NIGHT SKY!**_

...Team RWBY barely managed to leap to safety in time, each of them landing on the dock grounds. This drew the attention of the Slayer, the False Maiden and the White Fang terrorist.

"...shit," William muttered. They followed him after all.

 _ **++WARNING: Enemy combatant has access to an Argent energy-based weapon.++**_

That asshole in red. He wielded...the _Unmaker_?

Where the hell did he get _that_? And was that cultist armor he was wearing underneath that cloak?

Though in agony, Cinder looked bewildered, "What the...?"

"Blake!?" Adam looked outraged when he laid her eyes on the cat Faunus.

William didn't miss the look of fear on Blake's face, and the way she shivered under the bull Faunus' gaze. He knew that look, he was familiar with it. It was the kind his mother would have whenever it involved his grandfather.

" _SHOOT ME!"_

That sick, twisted, abusive fuck of an old man.

" _SHOOT ME OR_ _THEY_ _DIE!"_

"..."

The bull Faunus _needed_ to die.

"BLAKE?!" Adam screamed angrily, seemingly forgot about William as he sheathed Wilt in preparation for a quickdraw. "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU'D BE HERE-!"

William grabbed him by the tail of his coat. Adam turned his angry visage on William, which morphed into sudden, breathless agony when William drove his knee right into his groin. He would have taken his head off with one punch if Marcus had turned the Unmaker onto him...

 _ **AND THE DOOM SLAYER FOUND HIMSELF DODGING LASER THAT SLICED THROUGH THE WAREHOUSES IN THE AREA, LEAVING ADAM'S PAINED, FAUNUS CARCASS TO FALL TO THE GROUND. RUBY SHRIEKED!**_

"STOP!" Ruby shrieked, swinging Crescent Rose at the cult leader.

Marcus shielded himself with the Unmaker's barrel, swung his left foot upward and caught Ruby's chin hard, knocking her down onto the ground. Marcus grinned, feeling happy to be inflicting pain on anyone who stood between him and the Hell that was to be unleashed upon Remnant. Yang came at him next, raining several explosive shots down at him as she leapt into the air. He leapt back to dodge those and raising the Unmaker to guard against Yang's fist. He smacked Yang in the face lengthwise with the barrel, ducking underneath Blake's Gambol Shroud when she appeared behind him and attempted to stab him in the back. He slammed the back of his head against Blake's forehead, winding her long enough for him to grab her by the arms and swing her into a still dazed Yang, knocking them both down.

That was when he noticed the spinning black glyphs underneath his feet and fired the Unmaker at Weiss. She summoned another glyph to shield herself. The shield absorbed the hell-laser, the feedback causing the glyphs to turn red, and Weiss' screamed in pain when she suddenly felt like she was in a pressure cooker as her Semblance took a direct hit, which knocked her backward and through some wooden crates.

Yang's Semblance allowed her to recover quickly enough, and seeing the rest of her team get taken down drove her into a burning rage. Then she was suddenly paralyzed with fear when Marcus turned to her, eyes glowing red behind his hood and allowing him to grab her by the throat and lift her up. Yang grabbed his hood and tore it off him, revealing a silver-grey haired middle-aged man that appeared to have metal, rectangular studs welded to his face. Two studs on his forehead on his forehead, underneath his eyes and on his chin; like they were designed to keep his skull together.

Marcus smirked at Yang's shock at the grotesqueness of his face, and how her eyes filled with horror when his left hand shrouded itself in Hell energy. The smirk became even wider as if he knew that William was charging him, and Yang struggled to free herself as she desperately choked out...

"...stop...wait..."

And Marcus hurled Yang at William. The Slayer caught her in his arms, and turned to shield her with his body, leaving himself exposed for Marcus' hand to _phase_ into his back. Suddenly paralyzed, William out a choking sound and dropped Yang when it felt like Marcus was reaching into his very soul.

' _...wha...what-?'_ William couldn't fathom what was happening.

 _ **++Rapid pulse and breathing, enlarged pupils...you are suffering from**_ _ **shock**_ _ **!++**_

"...ggggggrrrr...!" William involuntarily gritted his teeth as he tried to move, but felt his muscle had locked.

"B.J.!" Yang cried, herself paralyzed at the sight of the Doom Slayer at the mercy of this crazed asshole. And he had taken the blow meant for her.

"No Aura. No Semblance. Just your fists, some armor and some really big guns," Marcus smirked. "Doom Slayer, if it weren't for the fact that you just took a blow for some top-heavy bimbo, you'd be godsdamn martial _**perfection**_!" Suddenly he peered in a whispered, "I don't blame you, though. She's got the nicest pair of tits I've ever seen in a-"

"...GRRRRRRARGHH..." William grounded out. He felt himself regain control of himself when Marcus suddenly pulled his hand out but he wasn't quick enough to counter when the Heresiarch's hand materialized in time for him to punch William across an entire yard.

HOONNNNNKKKKKK!

In time for a truck to come barraging through the docks, William just catching the headlights before it drove right into him...

"ACK!"

...taking him with it toward the edge of the docks, the cultists behind the wheel leaping out as the truck went underwater.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby screamed.

"B.J.!" Yang cried. She felt Marcus' foot on her chest. "AH!"

"No Doom Slayer to save you now!" Marcus exclaimed. "Bitch!"

Yang gritted her teeth as the familiar rage overtook her. Only that it wasn't just her eyes that turned red, her hair glowed shinier.

"WHAT THE F-!?"

Yang's _ignition_ forced him off her, and he nearly bit his own tongue of Yang levelled an uppercut to his jaw that launched him into the air, leaving a blood trail behind as he crashed back down onto the asphalt.

"He won't be down there for long!" Yang exclaimed right back. " _Bitch_!"

Rubbing his aching jaw Marcus looked enraged and shouted for the cultists coming out of the shadows from all around the docks, his voice gaining a demonic edge to it, _**"KILL EM'!"**_ He looked over at Cinder and her lackeys, especially Marcus. " _ **I GOT DEBTS**_...to settle."

"Oh no you d-!" Yang tried to go after Marcus only to be sidewinded by two more cultists. "OUTTA THE WAY!" she cried as she dodged their blades.

"WILLIAM!" Ruby screamed as she sped toward the edge of the docks with intent to dive in after her friend, only to be sniped in the leg by a cultist with a collapsible sniper rifle from a warehouse rooftop, the bullet absorbed by her Aura but the force spun her right around and she fell to the ground. Another cultist came at her with large, rusty mace; she rolled out of the way when he brought it down and swung Crescent Rose.

"..." her pupils diluted when she felt a spray of crimson all over her face. The cultist fell to his knees, gurgling from the gaping slice in his throat where it looked like his head would topple off the remains of his neck before dropping to the ground, still trying to breathe through a trachea that wasn't there. Ruby would have dropped Crescent Rose and rolled up into a ball to begin agonizing over her first purely human kill, if she hadn't remembered there were still more of the bastards coming after her.

More importantly, what would William think of her?

Ruby parried after cultist's blade, hitting him back in the chest and sending him flying. He looked up to see the same sniper pull the trigger, swinging Crescent Rose to deflect the bullet and shift her weapon into its sniper mode, take aim, pull the trigger and relieve the cultist of his brains and the top half of his head in a fine red mist.

The cracking of bone drew her to attention to Blake and her sword in a reverse grip, through the top of a kneeling cultist's skull, which she pulled out and left behind a shadow clone that took the blow from another cultist that she phased in behind and shot point blank in the head, before narrowly dodging another cultist sent flying her way by Weiss and her glyphs.

"WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE, YOU DOLT!?" Weiss screamed at Ruby. "FIGHT!"

They followed William. This was _his_ world. And now they had to pull their own weight if they wanted to stay alive. And they needed for him for that so she fought her way toward the edge of the docks as more cultists piled on her.

All the while the Heresiarch paid no mind to the fighting behind him as he calmly made his way towards the bullhead and the unconscious/semi-unconscious cretins lying about. He noticed Cinder clutching her bleeding, impaled wrist and how utterly horrified she was to see him approaching her.

"Marcus Black?!"" she cried. "You're supposed to be...dead!"

"Am not," Marcus smiled. " _HALF_ -a Maiden."

Cinder gritted her teeth, "I swear if you come near me I'll-"

CRUNCH!

Marcus retracted his fist from Cinder's broken nose, leaving her snorting painfully as blood leaked from between her hand with her eyes bulged out in pain and she gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming in pain.

"You wait right there," Marcus didn't bother to look at her as he walked past. "Family first."

Mercury cried out in pain when Marcus kicked him in the ribs and forced him awake. Opening his eyes, Mercury paled when he saw whom was standing above him with a look of pure murder on his face.

And he decided to piss him off, "Looking good, old man."

"Oh yeah?" Marcus smirked. He morphed right back into hatred as he slammed his foot down on his crotch, forcing Mercury to sit up in blinding agony before Marcus grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up and slammed him against the bullhead. The father's face was red with anger and took the time to revel in how scared his own son was of him.

"I'm positive you understand how completely and utterly _fucked_ you are right now," Marcus snarled. "Am I right, _Merc_?"

Mercury mustered up as much defiance as he could manage and returned the Heresiarch's glare with a smirk, "I have an idea. I should've made sure you were dead."

Marcus grabbed him by the hair and pulled, forcing that smirk off his face, "Yeah, you kicked me enough times in the head I figured you'd put your foot through my goddamn brain and end it." He started to choke Mercury. "You little shit. You little motherfucking, ignorant, brainless, little turd. Everything I've taught, you couldn't even _kill_ me! Left me in the dirt...pissing my drawers instead..."

"...heh...pissed yourself...?" Mercury choked out. "...fuck you..."

Through his abnormal strength Marcus stood up at full height, lifting Mercury up with one hand around his neck. "Those your last words, boy? You _still_ finding ways to embarrass me, huh?"

His gripped tightened, as a now terrified Marcus realized he just sent his father flying into one of his infamous choking rages, the kind that were even more horrifying whenever he was liquored up.

"You... _ **HATE ME. THAT MUCH!?"**_ Marcus sounded like he was choking on his near demonic rage as he visibly trembled with anger. _**"DISOBEDIENT! INGRATE! MAGGOT! GONNA KILL!"**_ He raised his fist. _**"GONNA KILL!"**_

He quickly spun around in time to face Adam, the Faunus impaling a screaming Mercury through his shoulder with Wilt, the father having used the son as a human shield. Marcus snarled and tossed Mercury aside, driving his fist into Adam's gut, knocking the Faunus up off the ground a few inches as Wilt was torn from Mercury's shoulder.

Adam shouted in pain. "You're not getting the best of me-"

Adam felt himself frozen in place as Marcus' glowing hand phased into his chest. Mercury thought he had wet himself when he recognized Marcus' Semblance. The Heresiarch smiled and clenched a fist inside Adam, causing the Taurus to suddenly shiver as if a piercing cold had enveloped him; and he collapsed onto his knee when Marcus withdrew his fist, holding what appeared to be red ball of light within his palm.

"W-what is that?" Adam's teeth chattered. "What did you do to me?"

"You don't recognize your own Semblance, Adam Taurus?" Marcus answered. "I just relieved you of it."

"...give it back," Adam sounded almost he was pleading. He suddenly repeated in a rage as he tried to lunge for him. "GIVE ME BACK _MOONSLICE_!"

Marcus sidestepped as Adam tripped over his feet and smacked his face on the pavement.

"I think I'll hold onto it for a while," Marcus said. Adam could only watch horrified as Marcus opened his mouth and consumed his Semblance. Crimson light shone out of Marcus' eyes as his body absorbed the Semblance, just one of many dozens he had stolen from all the Huntsmen and Huntresses that dared to cross him over the decades. "You've been relying too much on this thing, haven't you?" the Heresiarch sneered. "Would've been simpler to just take your sword away."

"...you... _human_..."

"That an insult now, _cattle_?"

"... _fucking_ human!"

"Sleep."

Marcus kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

"...what was I doin' again?" Marcus blinked, genuinely at a loss. "Oh, right. The Half-A-Maiden. It's been more than a minute so _ooo_..."

Cinder cried out in pain when Marcus grabbed her by the hair and started to calmly drag her behind him as he attempted to make his escape.

"…AH…let me go!"

"Hush, lady," Marcus replied. "I'm sure out there somewhere, someone's having a _worse_ day than _you_ -"

Out the corner of his eye he noticed a black crow careening toward him from the air. Letting go of Cinder's hair he grabbed the Unmaker with his right hand…

 _ **AND THE DEMON-WEAPON HYBRID FUSED ITSELF TO HIS FLESH IN TIME FOR THE CROW TO MORPH INTO THAT FAMILIAR DRUNK. THE DRUNK DREW HIS HARBINGER ONLY FOR IT TO BE DEFLECTED BY THE HERESIARCH'S GIANT FUCK-ALL REVERSE LASER BLADE BELOW THE SHOULDER THE SIZE OF HIS GODDAMN ARM!**_

"Qrow Branwen!" Marcus exclaimed, almost happily.

"Marcus Black," Qrow replied, tiredly.

Everyone else heard the two Huntsmen. Ruby's reaction was the most amusing…

"IT'S UNCLE QROW… _EEK_!"

That momentary distraction nearly cost her an ear from a cultist's blade.

(RWBY)

 _ **(…sinking…)**_

"… _what?"_

 _Five-year old William looked downcast, the long, blonde-haired rabbit beastkin girl his age looking like she was going to cry. She had almost burst into tears when she saw the bandages round William's face, but now it looked like her little heart broke then and there._

" _We're moving away," William repeated, sounding almost lifeless._

" _NO!" she screamed and threw her arms around William and buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking his tunic. "DON'T GO! PLEASE DON'T GO!"_

 _William sniffed and looked up at the sky, "I…"_

 _ **(…sinking….)**_

"…Perenna?"

William's eyes shot open when he realized water was leaking into his pressurized helmet as he sank, the truck that had ploughed into him descending into the watery depths beside him. He swam his way back up into an instant.

"…." he had taken a blow meant for Yang, _exactly_ how he feared would happen. He had grown _attached_ to these people, and they had already begun to cloud his judgement.

And that made the Slayer beat his legs even harder as he swam desperately upward to re-join the fight.

Hitting the surface, he reached up to grab the end of the dock. He paused when he noticed someone was already standing at the edge – a big, muscled, middle-aged man that at was least two feet taller than the Slayer with tanned skin, short brown hair and beard and scars near the sleeves of his shirt. He wore a two-tone olive-green coat over a black shirt with black pants and boots.

His hazel colored eyes felt like they could pierce through William's visor.

"Grimm Marine?" his voice was calm and baritone.

"..."

He extended his hand. William grabbed it and the big man lifted him out of the water and dropped him on the dock.

"Hazel Rainart," the man introduced himself.

"..." William blinked, confused. He followed suit, however. "William J. Blazkowicz III."

 _ **++Additional scroll signals detected. Ozpin and reinforcements have arrived,++**_ VEGA stated.

Ozpin? William narrowed his eyes. What was that Salem was saying about _Relics_?

"Yeah," Hazel nodded. "If only because I've got questions for Marcus Black." He growled, " _Many_ questions."

The deadliness in his voice was emphasized by the way he offhandedly punched through the skull of a cultist that came charging at them with a dagger. The both of them turned to see Qrow and Marcus exchanging blows, or in Qrow's case _dodges_ as Marcus' Unmaker in its melee form kept the Huntsman on his nose found himself avoiding a, of all things, a godsdamn _laser_ blade that could slice his own weapon to pieces easily.

Marcus grinned as Qrow activated Harbinger's scythe configuration, keeping the Heresiarch at a distance, the madman taking this as a challenge, dodging each swing of Qrow's scythe under he got close enough for the Huntsman to feel the head radiating off the Unmaker, switching Harbinger back to its sword state, pushing the blade hard against the barrel of Unmaker.

Qrow grimaced, "Heard you were dead, Black."

"That moronic spunk stain half-assed it."

"Isn't...this shit a few pay grades... above being an assassin?" Qrow forced out with exertion as he pushed against Marcus' abominable strength

"Hey, when you force yourself out of the bottle, a world of opportunity awaits." Marcus ignited the Unmaker. Qrow leapt back, the Argent blade just missing his neck, but feeling the heat from energy weapon burn his skin. Marcus glared. " _You_ should try it."

"I already _met_ your bosses," Qrow groused. "I'll pass."

Marcus saw he was wearing a bandage around his forehead and laughed, " _Rigghhhhtttt_ ~ You were worthy enough to be a sacrifice at least."

"And all the people hung upside down and bled out from their necks wrists like animals?"

"We _are_ animals," Marcus continued to smile as he went off on a tangent. "Eating, shitting, fucking, _fighting_...we're ALL beasts! Eternal damnation's merely the conclusion-"

"'So why fight it'? Qrow angrily finished. "You want to bring Hell on Remnant just for a chance to fight in it? That what you're trying to say?"

"So, the drink hasn't killed _all_ of your brain cells, I see."

Marcus shoulder-charged Qrow back, the Unmaker's nicking him across the arm. Just when he was about to slash him across the chest the Unmaker's blade suddenly fizzled...

"Wha-?"

...allowing Qrow to strike him hard enough times to shatter his Aura, tear through his cloak and damage his armor, knocking him to the ground. Angry and on the verge of another bout of psychotic rage he got up. He realized he heard that silver-eyed girl had earlier called him 'uncle.' Qrow and William didn't miss his smirk and his turned his blade toward Ruby, the girl parrying the blows of another cultist.

"BASTARD!" Qrow charged him.

The Slayer ran towards him as well, chainsaw in hand. Just when the Heresiarch was about sprint toward Ruby, an explosive fireball courtesy of Dr. Oobleck standing on the warehouse roof, along with a few dozen Huntsmen and Huntresses, all lead by Ozpin with his extendable cane in hand.

Yang punched another cultist down onto the ground when she noticed they were surrounded by friendlies. "What the...?"

"Professor Ozpin!" Ruby cried.

"Ozpin!" Marcus laughed. "This evening's turning out better than I hoped." He narrowed his eyes, "You, every semi-decent Huntsman out here. You and that AI planned this, didn't you? And all you had to do was-"

"Leave Beacon defenseless as we deal with you?" Ozpin finished for him.

"...what?" Marcus queried, surprised.

"Pardon me?" Port furrowed his moustache when he turned his head toward Ozpin.

"Did we miss something here?" Oobleck loudly questioned.

Marcus' eyes lit up when the cogs in his head turned. He smirked, "So...whose brats did you sacrifice holding the fort _this_ time, Oz _ma_?"

He cackled as he dodged a sudden straight cane thrust when Ozpin closed the distance in a heartbeat.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Beacon Tower)**_

"Arc."

"Uh...Adel?"

Both Teams JNPR and C(F)VY were surprised to find the other in front of the doors leading into Beacon Tower, all members decked out in arms and armor. Pyrrha was in her usual suit of armor, the only modification to its were the chainmail that covered her formerly vulnerable spots, leaving no trace of skin save for her neck and Ren settled for simple, practical suit of dark-green colored body armor, light enough for him to move fast around.

"You got a call from VEGA too?" Jaune asked.

Velvet nodded, "Whatever is going on in town, Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch trusts us enough to...do whatever the sentient intelligence wants."

"So, we're doing this?" Nora asked, eagerly.

"We could if Beacon Tower was accessible to the student body close to light's out," Yatsuhashi pointed out.

 _ ***DING***_

 _ **++Access granted.++**_

The doors opened.

Jaune swallowed, "Um..."

 _ **++Please make your way to the elevator.++**_

Teams JNPR and C(F)VY did as the AI asked, making their way through the tower lobby toward the lift, which opened for them without them needing to use scrolls. They found themselves squeezed tightly into the elevator as the door closed.

"Which floor are were heading to?" Ren asked as he reached for the buttons.

They were alarmed when they felt themselves going down.

"W-we're going _down_?" Pyrrha cried.

 _ **++To the Vault, Miss Nikos. The truth shall be revealed to you momentarily.++**_

It was too late to back out now. Whatever was waiting for them, this 'truth' sounded like the frightening, bowel-voiding kind.

 _ **(The Vault)**_

" _Ozpin, this is...I must protest..."_

 _ **++Your misgivings are noted, Professor Goodwitch...+**_

" _I was speaking to Ozpin, not you!"_

" _Glynda, Teams JNPR and CFVY have more experience combatting the forces of Hell. Better we use this as the first opportunity to begin creating teams specialized in demon slaying and whatever bizarre horrors exist that we previously didn't know about it."_

" _We should just assign Amber a security detail. Damn all this secrecy-"_

" _You know we can't, Glynda. And Qrow's currently out of commission."_

" _...this isn't right. Team JNPR are barely freshmen and Team CFVY are still getting over the loss of Fox."_

" _For JNPR, it's to harden them. For CFVY, it's their chance for vengeance..."_

Glynda thought she could feel Amber's eyes on her through the glass of her pod as she replayed the last conversation that she and Ozpin (and that damnable artificial intelligence) had before they had set out to, hopefully, end the threat against Autumn's life once and for all. Down here in the Vault, it would just be her and two teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses-In-Training against whomever decided to take advantage of Ozpin, Bart and Peter's absence to come down here and do whatever unholy thing they wanted with Amber.

And those teams were JNPR and C(F)VY, the only ones beside Team RWBY to have the most contact against the forces of Hell.

Hell. _**HELL!**_ This was all a nightmare she couldn't wake herself up from Hell is real. The demons are real. Coupled with the Grimm and their mistress, it was like humanity existed to be tormented by dark powers beyond all comprehension, and Blazkowicz might as well be one of those powers.

The Doom Slayer wasn't human. And he had Ozpin, Miss Rose, her team, ALL of Remnant at his mercy. It was either let him do his thing and hunt the Forces of Hell with reckless abandon or he'll turn on anyone that tries to stop h-

"..." Glynda blinked when she thought she felt the floor vibrate underneath her feet, like she just experienced a miniature earthquake.

She then heard faint voice come from the other end of the Vault, past the flaming torches and cracked marble on the floor and pillars left over from when Ozpin fought the Doom Slayer.

"...is this place?"

"...is what call a vault?"

"Looks...old...ish?"

"Stay on your toes, everybody. Who knows what could be waiting for us down here?"

"Something that's big, ugly and bleeds red, most likely...oh..."

Glynda sighed and rubbed her forehead as Teams JNPR and C(F)VY approached her out of the darkness, each one of them illuminated by the light of the green lamps

Nora appeared bashful and rubbed the back of her head, "Oops, sorry Professor. I didn't mean you."

"...children," Glynda greeted both teams, resigned.

"Professor Goodwitch," Pyrrha stepped forward. "What _is_ this place?"

Glynda removed her hand from her face and gripped her riding crop tightly. "Somewhere you all were never meant to know about," Glynda bluntly explained. "What our enemies were never meant to know about." She stepped to allow them to see Amber in her pod.

"Whoa, who's _that_?" Coco cried.

"A person who holds great power within herself," Glynda explained. "A power the darker forces of Remnant are seeking."

" _She's_ the reason why Remnant was attacked?" Jaune asked. " _IS_ being attacked?"

"Is she even alive?" Velvet exclaimed. "There's so much VEGA didn't tell us"

"...what we all weren't told about when we first came here, in the first place" Ren added, bitterly.

Glynda sighed again, "I...I can only imagine what you all must be feeling at this very moment, but you must understand Professor Ozpin's need for secrecy concerning-" she paused when the vibrations beneath her feet slowly began to grow in intensity. "What is that?"

"Yeah, anyone else feel that?" Jaune felt the ground vibrating underneath his feet, right before soil fell upon his head. He looked up at the ceiling. "What-?!"

Massive brown roots and green vines suddenly burst forth from the ceiling, the walls and floor, scattering marble and pillar all over the place.

"TAKE EVAS-!" Glynda cried. She lifted her crop, only to be struck across the face and sent flying into a pillar, where a vine tied itself around her, keeping her struggling place.

"WHAT THE _**SHIT**_?!" Coco shrieked. She was immediately restrained by vines that wrapped around her waist and legs. "GAARGH!"

"COCO!" Yatsuhashi drew his greatsword, where vines tore it out of his hands, grabbed him by the arms and legs and pushed him to the ground.

"YATSU-AH!" Velvet followed soon after, the vines confiscating her camera and box and wrapping itself around her mouth, causing her eyes to bulge out as she fell to her knees and tore away at the vine with her hands.

"AH!" Jaune was reduced to dangling in the air as one of the vines hoisted him up by one leg. "PYRRHA, NORA, REN...GET OUTTA HERE!"

Pyrrha's already had Miló and Akoúo̱ magnetized to her hands and was slicing away at the slithering vegetation. "Hang on, Jaune!" she tried to cut Jaune free but found herself quickly restrained, vines around her arms and legs and levitating her off the ground.

"NO, EWWW...HELL NO! NOT LIKE _THISSSSS_!" Nora cried as she too was overwhelmed by the vines, desperately reaching out for Ren as he was the last to be taken captive. "REENNN, HEEELLLLPPPP!"

"W-WHAT IS THIS?!" Ren shouted as he struggled to break free.

' _All these...vines, plants...PLANTS,'_ Glynda's eyes widened as she realized whom was responsible. _'No...'_

A large, slimy pod was lowered into the vault from above by several vines. It broke apart before it touched the ground, green organic liquid spilling out as the traitor emerged in her Huntress uniform.

Velvet gasped and felt her eyes water, "P-Professor Peach...?"

Beacon Academy resident expert of Remnant's flora looked regretful at what she had just used her Semblance for. "Children. You're not supposed to be here." She turned to Glynda, "I...don't mean for it to come to this, Glynda."

Clear feelings of betrayal were all over the combat instructor's face. "You...you were behind Team GRVE actions here at Beacon, weren't you?" Peach nodded. "You ordered them to open that gateway to Hell? Sacrifice all those 1st Years."

Peach nodded again.

"WHY!?" Glynda cried.

"Because it was time," Peach answered, the resolution beginning to creep into her voice. "This cycle of conflict must _end_. And Hell is the only way to do it."

"Cycle? What cycle?" Jaune cried.

Peach closed her eyes and shook her head, "You don't know. _None_ of you know." She looked back up at Glynda, "Not even you, Ozpin's own right hand."

"I don't what you're talking about!" Glynda exclaimed.

Now Peach looked indignant, "Oz... _Ozma_ , and the Whore of Grimm."

Alarmed, Glynda thought, _'Whore of...? Doe she mean Ozpin and Salem?'_

"You're not making godsdamn sense here!" Coco screamed. "Those demons killed Fox, they killed all those people!" She struggled harder against her bindings. "They want to kill ALL OF US!"

"It's regrettable that we are all to be sacrifices for the sake of the new world Hell will create for humanity," Peach said, regrettably. She looked at the pod containing Amber. "After they have cleansed it of the Grimm once and for all."

"... _seriously_?" Nora looked incredulous.

"How can you do this, Professor?" Pyrrha cried. "They are monsters!"

For a moment Peach looked ready to explode in anger, "The demons are no more monstrous than _HE is_ , Glynda!"

"It doesn't have to end this way, professor," Glynda was pleading now. "If you would just talk to Ozpin-"

"He'd deny the truth. He'd _LIE_ ," Peach shot back. "Just as he would you if you asked him about _his_ master. Now..."

She raised a hand, and immediately two of the sharpest, most barbed-looking vines emerged and were poised to attack Amber.

"NO, STOP!" Glynda shouted. "If you kill her-"

"Her power will transfer to the False Maiden," Peach interjected. "And she's already in the Heresiarch's hands. And he will take her the Hell Priest, and then – the merging of dimensions will-ARGH!"

Akoúo̱ slammed into the back of her skull, courtesy of Pyrrha and her Semblance. Peach lost control of her own Semblance, her hold over her constricting vines loosening enough for Glynda and Teams JNPR and C(F)VY to break free, weapons drawn. Glynda recovered her crop and immediately bombarded Peach with a hail of telekinetic power that slammed the horticultural professor into a pillar hard enough to crack the marble.

"NO!" Peach shouted as she felt herself getting crushed against the pillar. "I WON'T LET YOU GET IN MY WAY! _**IMPETUS**_!"

The largest vines burst open to reveal the Possessed students writhing inside, snarling animalistically as they claw their way out of their vegetative prisons, hungry for the flesh of the living.

"Oh, fuck me..." Coco grabbed her handbag and converted it into her minigun.

Glynda recognized at least one of the Possessed, she had been alive at least a couple of day ago. "Peach, what did you do to them?"

"What I needed to," Peach cried as she felt Glynda's psychic hold on her weaken due to the shock of the dozen Possessed students shambling through the vines toward the still living Huntsmen and Huntresses-In-Training. "They didn't suffer."

" _YOU'LL_ **SUFFER**!" Glynda roared angrily. "MURDERER!"

Peach gasping as she was slowly crushed against the pillar, feeling the full extent of Glynda's rage toward her. A Possessed lunged at Glynda, breaking her hold on Peach and allowing the horticultural professors to summons vines to protect herself as the team recovered their weapons and fought off the Possessed students. Each one of them felt themselves die a little inside as they were once again hacking their former schoolmates down, getting their blood all over themselves. Jaune's clumsy slashed only served to spill of the red stuff on himself, the boy panicking when he Possessed wouldn't die, accidentally tripping over a vine and falling onto his back.

He raised his shield as the Possessed lunged at him, catching it in the throat and causing it to bite its own tongue off. Jaune gnashed his teeth and pushed the Possessed to the side, rolling over on top of it and, with both hands on the handle of his sword, stabbed the Possessed repeatedly in the chest.

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

 _ **RIP AND TEAR!**_

Another Possessed came at him from behind, and he stopped stabbing the one he was straddling long enough to impale the next one through the gut before it was decapitated in one swing by Pyrrha. He went back to finishing off the Possessed he was stabbing. He was still stabbing ever after it had become still.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried as she shook him. "IT'S DEAD!"

"I had...to make sure," Jaune already sounded breathless. "I..."

He looked up to see the rest of the rookies slaughtering the Possessed, and Glynda matching Peach blow for blow as the two Professors traded telekinetic blasts and vine-whips. The sight of Nora smashing the brains out of another Possessed didn't even draw a startled blink out of him as he appeared desensitized to the carnage around him. Desensitized, and was scared that he was as such.

What pulled him out of his rut was hearing Professor Goodwitch cry out when Peach swats her with several vines and slams her repeatedly against the wall. The way Peach was smirking it was likely payback for being psychically slammed herself. In an instant Pyrrha charged her, hurling her shield at Peach which she deflected with another vine. Pyrrha skidded underneath it, catching Akoúo̱ and shifting Milo into its spear configuration, immediately swinging at Peach and causing her to leap back to avoid her attack

This gave Glynda the opportunity to recover, and telekinetically hurl pieces of marble at Peach, nailing her in the face and smashing her Aura to pieces.

"Give up, Peach!" Glynda exclaimed.

Noticing blood was leaking from her nose, Peach wiped it away and smiled sadly, "Weren't you going to make me suffer?"

"..." Glynda's look of anger was enough to make Pyrrha take a step back.

"I deserve it," Peach added.

"I want to," Glynda grounded out. "I want to..."

But then she'd be no better than Blazkowicz, right?

" _ **EXITIUM!"**_ Peach screamed.

Another Possessed cut itself out of the vines, only it was completely shrouded in Argent energy. It turned at Amber and hurled itself at the equipment keeping her alive.

"NO!" Glynda screamed.

"LOOK OUT!" Yatsuhashi grabbed Coco and Velvet and dove out of the way as the resulting explosion of Hell energy enveloped Amber's pod. A piece of flaming debris hurtled at Nora, embedding itself in Ren's shoulder when he threw himself over Nora..

"REN!" Nora cried.

All eyes watched as Amber was engulfed in flame and Hell energy, Glynda looking like she was about to burst into tears while Peach had that solemn look that suggested she had done something necessary; for the greater good even. It morphed into horror when suddenly the door into the pod was blasted open...

"What?!"

...and Amber stumbled out and fell to the floor. She was panting as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, unaffected by the flames as Hell energy radiated from her body. Her eyes closed she screamed out in pain as she concentrated on absorbing the demonic energies, flames seemingly bursting forth from her eyes as she levitated herself off the ground, turning so that she was facing Glynda, the rookie teams, and Peach.

"This is impossible!" Peach exclaimed. "You...you're not a _Wraith_! You're just have their power, you're not a-"

Amber blasted her with a jet of flame, sending her burning form flying down the hall toward the lift, the flames catching the vines and burning them as well.. Without her Aura she felt her flesh blacken as she burnt alive, screaming as she felt herself too weak to get up. But not weak enough to be unable to listen to the voices in her head.

" _ **My gamble on you was a miss. You have failed."**_

"I DIDN'T KNOW!" she screamed in agony. "HOW COULD I HAVE KNOWN!"

" _ **The Fall Maiden's power will be MINE! AND YOU HUMAN WILL GIVE IT TO ME..WITH YOUR BURNING, MELTING CORPSE IF NEED BE! GET UP!"**_

Peach's eye glazed over, demonic red taking their place as the demon within forced her onto her feet and she sprinted back across the Vault toward Amber. Burning, maniacal and possessed, Peach hurled herself off the ground toward a floating Amber, the demon forcing her mouth to open wider than physically possible as she went for the Fall Maiden's neck.

And she was split in two burning pieces when Amber summoned a cutting wind powerful enough to cut flesh, muscle and bone, Peach's blood splattered over her half-naked body.

Coco blinked as she tried to make her mouth work. "Holy..."

"...shit," Velvet finished, equally awed and terrified.

With a look of serenity she focused and extinguished the flames within the Vault. Once he feet touched the ground she stepped over to where Nora was trying to remove the piece of shrapnel from Ren's back.

Nora looked fearfully up at the Maiden before Amber beckoned her away from Ren. With all her strength she pulled the piece out of her back, forcing a scream out of Ren as she cauterized the wound, causing Ren to black out and collapse in Nora's arms.

"REN!" Jaune and Pyrrha cried as they joined their teammates.

"...catch me," Amber croaked, Glynda rushing to grab her as she become limp on her feet, leaving the combat instructor to lay her out on the floor..

Glynda swallowed. She didn't how to process all of this. Distorted chuckling drew everyone's attention toward the burnt torso of Peach, and the demon that had forcibly taken possession of her form.

" _ **The Wraith...barely put up a fight when we took them,"**_ the demon chortled. _**"This was...refreshing..."**_

Pyrrha stood up and faced the torso, "What are you? Really?"

"...don't speak to it..." Amber weakly pleaded. "Don't...listen..."

" _ **This pained...mortal flesh despaired when the truth was forced upon her**_ ," the demon interjected. _**"As will all of you when you realize how much of a sham human existence on this world truly is."**_

"Life isn't a sham," Pyrrha replied, confidently. "That's what _you_ monsters believe."

" _ **What...is your name, girl?"**_ the demon that possessed Peach asked.

At first alarmed that it was speaking to her, Pyrrha inhaled deeply and composed herself before she replied in a strong voice, "Pyrrha Nikos."

The demon forced Peach to smile with ruined lips, _**"Pyrrha...Nikos. We...know who you are now...we will find you..."**_

And the demon relinquished control of Peach's corpse, her material form slowly melting into a bloody puddle. The same befell her vines and roots as they too browned and rotted, leaving the Vault an absolute mess to lay gaze upon.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Docks)**_

" _...Peach screwed up."_

Dodging Ozpin's cane, Marcus came to the conclusion when he realized Cinder should have been infused with the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers by now. He would have made sure she wasn't conscious long enough to appreciate before grabbing her and skipping town with her over his shoulder. But nope, she was still struggling to stand, pained by the beatings she had just received.

"Is something _not_ going according to plan, Black?" Ozpin insinuated.

"Shove it, old, _old_ man," Marcus groused. Parrying Ozpin's next strike he ducked backward to avoid the Slayer's chainsaw thrust, slashing the Slayer across the plating of his arm, singing the steel and causing William to leap back for fear of hitting flesh.

Marcus suddenly felt a meaty fist slam into the side of his face and sending him flying against the nearest warehouse wall, courtesy of Hazel.

"Enough of this, Marcus!" Ozpin exclaimed, dropping all pretense of patience. "You can't beat all of us and you can't escape. Give up."

Stepping forward out of the crack in the wall, Marcus turned his head toward the largest Huntsman present, recognizing him almost immediately. "Hazel, right?"

"Gretchen's brother," Hazel added.

"She speaks a lot about you."

"And I have a lot of questions to ask you." His lips curled as anger began to take out, "And you are going to answer each _and_ every one of them."

Marcus found himself cornered by Ozpin, Qrow, Hazel, Team RWBY and William, the Slayer cracking his knuckles as if preparing to beat the Heresiarch to death. Marcus' eyes bulged when he suddenly belched and rubbed his chest as if he was having an attack of indigestion.

"Boy, there sure is a lot of negativity going on around here," he pointed out. He smirked, "And what do you think negativity attracts?"

City-wide alarms suddenly went off, just as the last cultist had been slain, courtesy of Qrow.

"What is _that_?" Ruby cried.

"Coastal proximity alert!" Qrow exclaimed. He suddenly realized, "Oh shit..."

 _ **++WARNING: Grimm signature approaching docks. Variant identified: Sea Feilong.++**_

The massive serpentine Grimm emerged from the sea, sending a tidal wave across the dock, everyone clinging to the nearest grabbable object to avoid being washed away.

"...should've seen this coming," Yang groused. She turned to William, "Ever killed anything that big?"

"..." William turned to Yang and dipped his head just enough to indicate he was looking at her coyly.

"Ok, ask a stupid question," Yang smirked.

The Sei Feilong slithered onto the docks out of the water and opened its maw to unleash- _ **IT'S FUCKING HEAD SUDDENLY EXPLODED!**_

Marcus chuckled, "Skip the boss fight."

And everyone could see the small fleet of Atlesian capital ships approaching the coast of Vale.

Qrow sighed, "Oh, great. _Jimmy's_ here."

 _ **++The 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **Fleet ferrying the 34**_ _ **th**_ _ **and 57**_ _ **th**_ _ **Regiments under General James are approaching,++**_ VEGA announced. _**++We must-++**_

" _ **GO TO HELL!"**_ Marcus' roared as Hell energy erupted from his body, sending everybody flying back, save for the Doom Slayer and Team RWBY.

"WHAT-!?" Ruby cried.

His eyes glowed red as he felt 'Moonslice' rise up in his throat. William raised his chainsaw and charged him, Marcus smirked and turned his head just enough so that the resulting energy blast he expelled from his mouth. powered by Adam's Semblance went right past the Slayer's head, past Blake. The energy hit the headless Sei Feilong, Argent static shrouding it and causing it to levitate into the air as Moonslice merged with Hell energy, in turn merged with the Grimm's formerly fading essence to create a tear in reality itself

 **++Dimensional rift detected!++** VEGA declared urgently. **++EVACUATE IMMEDIA-++**

"Too late, kids!" Marcus snarled, overcharging the Unmaker and swinging it at the Slayer and Team RWBY, the force of the energized detonation sending them all flying toward the right.

"ARGHHHHH!" Ruby screamed.

Qrow raised his head off the ground in time to see his nieces, their teammates and the Slayer flying toward the orange-red static-like tear in reality. He reached toward them futilely, "NO!"

The last thing he saw before white clouded his vision was the Slayer grabbing the person closest to him – Weiss - holding her close to himself and shielding her with his body before they hit the rift.

 _ **(Bridge of 'Blue-1')  
(Atlas 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **Air Fleet)**_

The blinding white light was seen off coast from General James Ironwood's flagship, the man himself raising his hand to shield himself from the glare. Once the white faded, they saw a floating, headless Grimm tear hovering above the docks, shrouded in Hell energy. The entire bridge went quiet with feelings of terror as memories of a week ago surface within each crewmember.

Ironwood abruptly broke the silence, "Report! What are we steered towards?"

"Readings indicate it's the same kind of energy field from the attack on Atlas, sir," one of the bridge officers replied as he checked the readings on his console. The lights in the bridge started to flick and the consoles screen and holo-projectors fizzled out. "...it's interfering with our systems, sir!"

' _Damn it,_ ' Ironwood thought. _'Obviously, Oz forgot to account for something and now Vale is going to pay for it.'_ Stretching his hand forward in a gesture of authority he ordered, "Captain! Power forward canons. Prep strike teams for immediate drop and full speed ahead!"

"Aye, sir."

Klaxons blared through out the bridge as one of the monitors, "Sir, energy readings just spiked. It's..." he looked up from his console toward the front window. "AIMING RIGHT TOWARD THE FLEET!"

The Sei Feilong pointed it's headless neck toward the 4th Fleet and fired a massive blast of Argent energy.

"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" the captain ordered. Everyone grabbed hold of their stations, except for Ironwood. "Better hold onto something, general."

"..." Ironwood instead just stood his ground and glared at the energy hurtled toward them.

The Possessed Sei Feilong missed Blue 1, instead hitting the capital airship right behind it, tearing right through one end and out the other, flames immediately bursting out of the hull.

"Blue-2 has been hit!" another bridge officer exclaimed after the sudden rush.

The bridge lights flickered before suddenly going out, followed by the consoles; right before each screen flashed a black pentagram on a red background. Distorted, evil chuckling echoed around the bridge loud enough for several crewmembers to tear their headsets off above a sudden influx of distress signals, screaming and cries for help coming out of Blue-2.

"...holy gods," Ironwood murmured under his breath in shock when they saw that Blue-2 appeared to be drawn into it's own rift that caused the ship to implode as everything, and everyone onboard, were sucked into the Hell rift, the resulting shockwave causing the windows on every ship in the fleet to explode in a shower of glass, along with several stations that sent crewmembers flying and scrambling for the fire extinguishers.

"We just lost Blue-2! It's...it's _gone_!"

Getting up from the ground Ironwood ignored the sudden breeze in the room and demanded, "Gone?"

"Yes, sir! There's no trace it even existed, sir."

Blue-2 was ferrying half of the 57th Atlas Regiment – five-thousand ground troops plus equipment and ground/air vehicles. Including an additional 4,000 naval crew – officers, petty officers and technicians.

Nine-thousand Atlas souls sent to Hell, and to the demons that waited for them!

"...GET US TO VALE, NOW!" Ironwood shouted angrily.

This was why Ozpin should have just handed Blazkowicz over. They would have seen this coming!

(RWBY)

 _ **(The Vault)**_

"WILLIAM!"

And Amber suddenly screamed as she was held in Glynda's arms.

"C-calm down, Amber," Glynda tried to reassure her. "You're safe.'

"I-I can't sense him!" she exclaimed "He's not...I can't feel him on this plane I-"

"Amber. Look at me!"

The Fall Maiden stopped her struggling, looking Glynda in the eye.

"G-Glynda Goodwitch?"

Glynda smiled, "Yes, Amber. That's my name."

"...where's _William_?" the Fall Maiden asked.

Glynda was startled to hear her say the Doom Slayer's name, "William?"

"That little boy...with his mother's eyes...I...I want to see him..." she felt tears prick her eyes as she smiled, fondly. "...he's...grown up so much...he has go to Sentinel Prime to...to...the Seraphim...will..."

' _Sentinel Prime? Seraphim?'_ Glynda thought. She shook her head and urged Amber, "Don't speak. You need to rest now."

"...I've seen _him_...I've seen... _places_. Memories in my head. Good memories, horrible memories..." Amber croaked. "...memories that...aren't my own. The...old man's...I...I'm tired-" Amber passed out in Glynda's arms.

"...anyone else feel a bit lost?" Nora wondered. "'cause I'm feeling _very_ lost."

Coco chuckled, "Ditto."

Glynda gently laid Amber on the floor, stood up, dusted off her skirt and tried to appear as dignified as she can manage. "Of course, you children do not need me to tell you that you must keep everything you just saw down here a secret."

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes, Professor."

"We can do that," Ren affirmed. He looked over at his team leader, Jaune."

"I..."

Jaune's scroll rang, and he smiled big when he saw whom was calling.

"VEGA!" Jaune exclaimed happily when he answered. "WE...WE DID IT! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT-"

 _ **++This is pre-recorded message to all those within the Vault underneath Beacon Academy.++**_

"What?"

 _ **++If you are listening to this, then you have survived – ALL of you have survived – but we, that is myself, Team RWBY and Blazkowicz, are no longer present in this dimension, for now at least.++**_

Velvet gasped, "T-they're gone?!"

"What's happened to them?" Pyrrha cried.

 _ **++Upon reviewing each of your transcripts that permitted you entry into Beacon and your combat performance over the past week – against the demons and Blazkowicz's training sessions – you are all capable of surviving a demonic assault as long as you remain a team underneath your leaders, Jaune Arc and Coco Adel.++**_

Glynda was angry. _'That conniving, manipulative...did he know this would happen?'_ She paused, _'Did...Ozpin know...?'_

 _ **++Until our return, the safety of the Fall Maiden, her power, and by extension Beacon Academy, is in your hands. Yours, your teachers, and Professor Ozpin. Sentient Intelligence VEGA, signing off.++**_

The silence that followed was oppressive, each one feeling the weight of near-death and unreasonable responsibility upon each of their shoulders. None more so than Jaune, the scroll slipping out of his hand and dropping to the floor as he himself fell to his knees. He became pale like he had just finally realized what he had just gotten himself into.

"Whoa, Jaune," Nora called out. "There goes the color of your face."

"...I...I..."

Glynda frowned, "Mr. Arc?"

"Jaune?" Pyrrha reached out to him. "Are you-?"

He shook his head, like denying what had just occurred would absolve him of responsibility, "I...I'm not ready for this."

"A super intelligent AI thinks otherwise," Ren pointed out. "He wouldn't have sent us here-"

"He...IT...shouldn't have at all!" Glynda exclaimed. "Team RWBY. Blazkowicz. What has _it_ done?"

"...I shouldn't be here..."

Silence once again.

"...could you please repeat that?" Glynda walked over toward him and stood over the kneeling boy. "Mr. Arc?"

Pyrrha blinked, "Jaune?"

Jaune's eyes quivered when he realized what he just said. He bowed his head and sighed, "I...I shouldn't be here."

"And why is that?"

(RWBY)

 _ **(...)**_

" _GET YOUR GODSDAMN STINKIN' CLAWS OFF ME YOU FUCKS-ARGHHHH!"_

Qrow was roused from unconsciousness and the memory of having a pentagram carved into his forehead by an Imps' claw by the Atlesian medic and his defibrillator. He noticed Atlesian bullhead touching down all over the warehouse sector, troops piling out with weapons hot.

"Quit it, my heart's beating fine!" Qrow exclaimed and shoved him back before he could zap him again. "What the hell's going on!?"

"You tell me, Qrow."

"...shit," the Hunstman wearily muttered as he turned around. "Jimmy."

General James Ironwood in person instead of being on the other end of a communications link for once, flanked by a squad of Atlesian soldiers. Qrow looked around, to see Marcus Black was gone, as were the False Maiden, her cronies, the bullhead the White Fang had arrived in, and the White Fang leader himself was also missing. "Wait, where's-?"

Ironwood frowned, "They all got away before we managed get troops down here, right after that Grimm disappeared through their Hell portal and took one of my ships with it. Now, tell me what happened?"

"What, you didn't get a good enough view from your airship?" Qrow replied. "That Grimm's corpse got sucked up along and my nieces, their teammates and the godsdamn Grimm Marine." He growled, "Marcus Black fucked us, you get it?! We thought we had him and then he spun us right around and fucked us! We. Got. _FUCKED!_!" He paused to catch his breath, Now, where's Ozpin?!"

"QROW!"

He just barely noticed Ozpin before he felt Winter's fist in his face, knocking him down before feeling her hands around his throat.

"SCHNEE!" Ironwood exclaimed. "Stand down!"

"What happened to Weiss!" Winter screamed as she straddled him. "WHERE IS MY SISTER!"

"...get off me, Winter," Qrow calmly forced.

"TELL ME WHERE-!"

Qrow grabbed Winter by her tie and headbutted her right off him, which sent her stumbling backward and falling onto her ass, "Fuck off, Schnee!"

Winter shivered as she rubbed her forehead, making a fist in her rage, "It's was him, wasn't it?" She lowered her hand to see that she had angry tears pouring down, "It's _Blazkowicz's_ fault!"

"...no, Winter. It's not," Ozpin shook his head. "No one is to blame except for our enemies." He turned to Ironwood and looked at him knowingly.

Ironwood knew he had just been caught out. "Atlas Council has changed its stance on Blazkowicz. Now they want him inducted into the Atlas military in preparation for an imminent demon invasion-"

"So, you sent an _artificial_ person after him?" Ozpin pressed.

"...how did you-?"

"VEGA verified it.

"And now they're _both_ gone!" Qrow exclaimed. "To gods know where."

"We all know where," Ironwood stated. "Them, and thousand of other Atlesian souls."

"Yeah, you had to bring a whole army here, didn't ya'?" Qrow chuckled, darkly. "And you just gave Hell something to play with."

"That's enough, Qrow-!"

Ozpin's scroll beeped, indicating a text.

"..." Ozpin's eyes widened. "No."

"What?" Qrow growled.

"The siege on Shade has been lifted. And the demons took the _Sword_ back with them..."

And not one of had even said, on wondered, if things couldn't get any _worse_.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Outskirts of Vale)**_

It was all over. All his plans for Vale, for Beacon Academy, the beginning of his retribution upon humanity – were _ruined_. All thanks to that freak Blazkowicz – that sadistic mass-murdering psychopath. Stumbling painfully through the forests outside Vale capital with his bruised rips and his broken left testicle. with each step pure agony because of his kneecaps, Adam gritted his teeth as he fell over onto the grass.

If he made it out of Vale alive, he would have to answer to the High Leader, Sienna Khan, herself. He would have to explain to her why he led all of his followers to their messy, brutal deaths; and there would be no way he'd be able to gain any more support, and the numbers, needed to oust her from her throne.

William Joseph Blazkowicz ruined that. He ruined EVERYTHING. Him, and _Blake_.

"Blake..." he muttered angrily. And _she_ was with him?

He heard footsteps approaching from all around him and he rolled over onto his back.

"Well, well, isn't this some kind of coincidence? The universe really hates _**you**_ , Taurus."

' _Oh, fuck,'_ Adam's eyes widened. He tried to get up but instantly felt a foot push him back down.

A thoroughly battered looking Marcus Black with several more of his followers emerged from the trees and a surrounded the fallen White Fang leader. "We're not done yet, Adam."

Adam snarled, anger and frustration in his voice, "What _more_ do you want from me, human?!"

"To hang you from a tree, slit your wrists and _bleed_ you," Marcus replied. "Nothing would please me more. Buuutttttttt...I need you alive, for now at least anyway."

He smiled.

"Let me take a stab at what you're thinking right now. It's not my foot on your head right, it's that cute emo-looking cat Faunus that, I'm guessing, is your ex," Marcus said. He smirked when he felt Adam struggle harder to get out from under him. "Am I getting warmer."

Adam snarled, "Screw you, human. You don't know me!"

"Oh, actually I know plenty after shoving my hand in your soul. I know you're definitely thinking about her _now_ ," Marcus said. "And now you're thinking: Is Blazkowicz giving her the dick?"

"FUCK YOU-AH!"

"He was quick to break your nuts when you looked ready to kill her. Guess he likes the pussy," Marcus went on, clearly enjoying tormenting the White Fang leader. "Both kinds. Neither of which you've _ever_ had, am I right!"

"...FUCKING HUMAN! GET YOUR FOOT OF MY HEAD! I'LL TAKE YOU-OW!"

Marcus belted out a laugh as he pushed Adam's head harder into the ground. " _Take me_ , huh? Like Blake probably taking Doom Slayer cock every night she's been at Beacon? Flat on her back as he gives her that D'Nurian shaft of his?" He got down on his other knee, his smirk becoming razor sharp and perverted. "I recall gettin' some once upon a time, and all I got out of it was some good-for-nothin' major in patricide named Mercury."

Adam gritted his teeth as he looked over at the Faunus cultists, the smiles on their faces as they watched their Heresiarch torment him. "YOU TRAITORS!"

"HEY!" Marcus lifted his foot of Adam and smacked him across the face. He wasn't smiling now. "Focus on me, boy. You White Fang are fighting a lost cause, but I'm offering you all a chance. Take a message to Sienna Khan-"

"NEVER!"

"...or I'll kill you D'Nur style right now," Marcus snarled. "You know how they used to punish Faunus back in the old days? They'd shove a pike up your ass and slowly work it all the way up, ju _sstttt_ missing the vital organs, 'till the business end's jutting out of your mouth, then they leave you to die by the side of the road. That or slice your junk off and watch you bleed to death. Beating, burning, sawing, gutting. Believe me, they were all about making examples out of the _beasts_ and they were medieval-as-fuck creative about it." Adam had stopped squirming under his foot, his breathing panicked as his mouth was left agape. "Your mind's forming pictures yet? I bet it's worse than what you're hiding under that mask of yours."

"...I..."

"So, what's it to be, boy?" Marcus grounded out.

"..."

"Someone, get me a _spear_!"

"...what message?"

"The biggest, _girthiest_ one we've got."

"WHAT MESSAGE!?"

"...scratch that."

(RWBY)

 _ **(En-route toward the border...)**_

Behind the controls of the jacked White Fang bullhead Cinder knew she was _finished_. All her plans, schemes, manipulations, all ruined. All that time spent planning Beacon's downfall and gaining the rest of the Fall Maiden's power all for nothing. All because of the Doom Slayer, Blazkowicz.

Cinder gritted her teeth as her wandered back to their 'fight'. He'll pay, oh he'll pay. A maniacal smile made its way onto her face as she fantasized of all the things she was going to do to him once she got his hands on him. To him, to all the people he cared about right in front of him, to him in front of the people he cared about. And he'd be begging for death right before the end.

She might have the Fall Maiden's entire power now, but somehow, she knew it would find its way to her eventually, and when she did...

The False Maiden stopped smiling when she remembered that it was Salem who ordered her to persuade the Doom Slayer to join them. She sounded so sure of herself when she gave the command, and it was Cinder who paid for it.

Cinder smirked when she remembered that not even the Grimm Witch could contain the Doom Slayer. Obviously, whatever Blazkowicz had done to escape her grasp must have been able to hit her where it definitely hurt.

"...uhhhhhh..."

Cinder frowned when she heard her underlings groan in cabin. She should have just left them behind, she wasted time tossing their useless backsides into the bullhead she barely managed to escape Ozpin while they were knocked unconscious by Marcus Black's demonic trickery and Ironwood's wretched military once they started landing troops on the docks.

"...my eye...give me back my eye..." Emerald muttered deliriously as drifted in and out of consciousness.

And now she had _this_ to deal with.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Getting the hell outta dodge...)**_

"You *pant* think we *huff* ran far enough, Neo?"

Neo appeared barely winded as she and Roman found themselves in the industrial district of Vale, a good distance away from the docks. Roman removed his bowler to wipe his forehead. She turned around to see the smoke in the distance and the Atlesian fleet hovering above the warehouse sectors, search lights flooding the entire area.

"Welp, I guess our arrangements with Her Prickliness has officially been terminated," Roman tried to make light of the situation as best he could. "What say we lay low for a few weeks until the good general goes home on account of the Vytal Festival getting cancelled this year?" Neo turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. Roman sighed, exasperated, "What, you seriously think there's still going to be a festival after the shit we've been through this past-there's someone behind me is there?"

Neo nodded her head and raised her umbrella. Roman had his cane at the read, crosshairs already flipped out as he spun around and pointed it between the eyes of a orange-haired girl in a green dress.

Penny smiled, "Good evening, Roman Torchwick."

"...yeah, hi," Roman replied. "In case you don't realize that you've got a firearm hovering an inch away from your face."

"You will surrender yourselves quietly to Atlesian authority immediately," Penny declared, upbeat. "Or I will be required to use-" Penny's daggers came out of nowhere to deflect Neo's umbrella and parry Roman's cane when he pulled the trigger, right before she thrust point toward each of their throat.

Roman's eyes when she realized that those daggers didn't come out of nowhere, but out of her, especially the ones that were hovering above their head and pressed against their necks.

"Or I will be required to use force," Penny finished, still smiling and being all upbeat.

Roman smiled, "Listen, sweetie. Are you General Ironwood has no need for a...somewhat important figure in Vale's criminal underground, what with his many connections spanning nearly every corner of the kingdoms-"

"Ironwood wishes to discuss how to better use those connections. In a civil manner."

"...wow, for real?"

(RWBY)

 _ **(...)**_

Ruby felt a breeze slowly rouse her from unconscious, the feel of rock against her face quickly alarming her as she sat up.

And the first thing she saw was the corpse of an Atlesian soldier impaled on a stake, the business end jutting out of his mouth, on top of a rock. Black clouds shrouding a fiery sky hovered above, smoke rising from below her as she realized she had woken up on a mountaintop in an eldritch location torn straight from the darkest of the nightmares. _Hers_ , and Williams.

"...ah...ah...ah..." she started shaking uncontrollably in fear. William's infinite nightmares come true...for her.

She then heard the Voice...

" _ **She-Who-Is-Red-Like Roses is HERE!"**_

"...what?"

" _ **Welcome."**_

" _ **To."**_

" _ **HELL."**_

" _ **...Ruby Rose."**_

She _screamed_...

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Chapter finally done and we've officially kicked canon to the curb. Sorry for the delay._

 _Thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter, and I'm sorry if I didn't get a chance to thank each of you personally for your comments/favs/follows – I appreciate all of them. I'm glad I'm writing something you enjoy reading. ^_^ And it just happens to be the villains getting their asses handed to them._

 _Ah, I screwed up. Back in Chapter 17, Professor 'Flora' was meant to be Professor 'Peach'. Somehow, I got her name and her profession mixed up. It's been fixed now._

 _Marcus Black was modelled after: How badass we all felt playing deathmatch back in the 90s/early 2000s._

 _The things Amber just said about Sentinel Prime, I've started putting references to elements to be featured in DOOM Eternal...which will expand the lore hidden in two particular multiplayer arenas seen in DOOM 2016 – 'Empyrean' and 'Argent Breach'. And how Amber knows about all this will be gradually revealed too._

 _TheGamerTronShow's YouTube video_ _ **'DOOM Eternal was in DOOM (2016) this Whole Time! id Software FOOLED us ALL!'**_ _convinced me to take a stab at foreshadowing what's to come in DOOM Eternal. And hopefully if I try to keep it to a minimum up until the release of the game, I won't feel tempted to rewrite a lot of this fic, especially if it turns out the Dark Lord of the Fourth Age did merge with Olivia Pierce to become the Spider Mastermind and was killed at the end of the game._

 _...I mean...they wouldn't just kill off that menacing demonic voice just like that, right?_

 _So, we didn't get to go to Atlas in Volume 6 after all. But at least I know the SDC are as monstrous as I plan to depict them in the arc after the next one._

 _Oh, and I'm playing Far Cry: New Dawn at the moment. It's currently scratching my technicolor post-apocalyptic itch until Rage 2 comes out in another 3 months. And I'm probably gonna write a Rage 2 fic eventually, too._

 _And Perenna? Her name is derived from the Latin word for 'Daisy flower'. Thanks, Sir Attlich._


	21. Inferno Road I: Suffer

_**v.1**_

* * *

 _ **(The Void)  
(The First Age)**_

" _You thought there was no greater punishment we can bestow upon you?"_

 _ **CONCEPTION**_

That was the last thing the tiny, shattered fragments of a thousand departed souls heard as they were flung into the void, each piece shrouded in the dark, violet energy inflicted upon them by the God of Darkness. Within the darkness they had no mouths, and yet they must scream as they felt unbelievable phantom pain the likes no mortal could hope to suffer through and live. Blind, deaf, in pain, each piece could sense the other as they felt like it was falling through infinity itself.

In no time they were joined by billions other tiny pieces, each one screaming their own silent cacophonies as they endured their blind descent through non-existence, yet aware. With their phantom limbs each piece reached desperately for the rest of themselves as their memories began to fade, screaming desperately for their deities to save them, to put them back together.

Their screams, their prayers, all for naught.

Before they each succumbed to pain induced madness their last thought was of the woman that had brought them all to their states of living death courtesy of the gods themselves

 _ **GESTATION**_

They had stopped falling at least several thousand years ago. The pain had long since faded. Now, they floated in the void dwelling in infinite sadness, the pieces mourning lives and memories lost when they had each been whole, the power of darkness growing within each of them and lighting up the void as if it they were each a purple star in the night sky. For a thousand years they mourned until they forgot the reasons for their sadness.

Suddenly, came _anger_. The power of darkness twisted them as they felt rage, which grew hotter when the few memories they still had were of the Brother Gods, and the Whore that led them to their destruction. Each shattered piece of a former human felt itself willing to be free of this void, imagining itself opening its eyes to find themselves floating in blackness, gnashing sharpened teeth that materialized in their deformed mouths as claws spouted from their various twisted appendages, their ears or similar auditory organs allowing each of them to hear own maddened, furious echoes that echoed around the void.

In their new forms they remained for a century more, until their collective rage shaped the void that surrounded them…

 _ **BIRTH**_

…into a realm that reflected their anger – stone, fire, lava, molten ash. The moment their bodies fell from the sky onto solid ground, the billions upon billions of fragments given new form, monstrous forms experienced agony, and not from the crunching of bone and tearing of flesh as they made impact on the ground. Inhuman shrieking, roaring and bellowing could be heard from all corners of this new, blasted hellscape as they each subjected to a full sensory overload after an eternity floating in a black nothingness – relief, joy, happiness, gratitude to be made whole once again.

Those positive emotions quickly faded when they each remembered why they were down in this Hell. Hatred, rage, brutality – they felt their bones mend as through sheer negative force as they sat upon one another.

 _ **GROWTH**_

Their new domain continued to shift and change form as these lifeforms – these demons – fought one another. Bashing, biting, hacking, stabbing, strangling, burning, ripping and tearing; for years they fought one another, the only outlet for their rage that was available to them. With each kill their already monstrous forms became even more horrific as they grew stronger, faster, _bigger_. Mighty fortresses and keeps rose, built by the slaves of the strongest demons – the ones that would be known as the Baalgar – the shadow lords of this realm.

 _ **MATURITY**_

As more of the glowing, mutating soul fragments descended from the crimson sky, these Baalgar fought one another other, each wishing for sole dominion over this new world. Upon the Great Steppe the Baalgar and their armies fought until only two of these lords were left standing. Their armies stood aside as they fought each other in single combat.

One Baalgar – a monstrous, horned demon whose blood poured from his many wounds and missing appendages, fought the other – a writhing mass of reptilian maw, skin and tentacles. The horned demons' purpose for their existence: Vengeance against the gods that cast them down. The reptile's: Unending hedonism and sick perversity upon the universe and all mortal life.

They fought, tearing flesh, limb and organ from one another and scattering the pieces from one corner of the world to the other. The tentacle demon bellowed in terror when the horned demon pinned it to the ground with his hoof to the back of its head. With feelings of revulsion and disgust toward it's perverted rival he tore the rest of its appendages off its body and finished it off by garroting it with the most phallic, thorny-looking of its tendrils, sawing it's head off. The reptilian demon hadn't even finished its death throes when it's armies, ALL the armies of Hell, bowed their heads in reference of the horned demon, even as it hoisted its rival's decapitated head high above itself with his remaining right hand.

" _ **HELL!"**_

Upon that proclamation the demonic hordes proclaimed him as the _Icon of Sin – Dark Lord of the First Age_. And the surviving Baalgar pledged fealty to the first among them. The millions upon millions of demonic corpses were tossed into what would be known as the Boneyard – a pulsating dump of demonic flesh and bone located on the outer reaches of Hell.

 _ **Hell!**_ _The appropriate name chosen for their home – the place they were cast down to after their mortal coil had been cruelly vanquished. Hell! The Pit!_

 _ **DOOM!**_

Slaves to hatred. Slaves to pain. Slaves to unending fury. The Slaves of Doom!

(RWBY)

 **Inferno Road I:  
Suffer**

" _...where in the hell are we?!"  
_ _ **\- Private Michael Grun, Atlesian 57**_ _ **th**_ _ **Regiment  
Last recorded words**_

(RWBY)

 _ **(Xiao Long/Rose Residence)  
(Patch)**_

"...ow..."

Five-year old Yang groaned as she felt a bump form on her head, having woken up after falling out of bed onto the floor of her room.

"Yang? Baby? You alright in there?" she heard a male voice call out to her from behind her door.

"Yeah, I...I just fell out of bed," Yang replied, rubbing her head.

"You sure you don't need my help?"

Yang rolled her eyes, "Dad, I'm finnnn _neeee_..."

"...ok, then. Don't take too long picking yourself up off the floor, your mom's making pancakes for breakfast." Her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, chuckled, "And she'll probably try and eat them all first."

The little girl's eyes lit up when she smelt the batter cooking from downstairs and was quick to leap back up onto her feet, and rushed to get dressed. After a brief trip to the bathroom she basically leapt down the stairs and made a beeline for the kitchen. There, she found her younger three-year old sister Ruby already seated, intently watching her mother's back as she stirred the pancake mix and began pouring it onto the pan.

"Morning, Yang," Summer Rose looked over her shoulder and grinned at her. "And just in time..."

"To see you eat all the pancakes?"

That elicited a giggle from Ruby and a comical pout from Summer, "Low blow. That was your father, wasn't it?"

"No use denying it, Summer," Taiyang called out from the other side of the house.

Yang stuck her tongue out at Summer for good measure before sitting down next to Ruby. Her sister smiled over at her, before glimpsing over at mom and the way she was standing over the pan, seemingly transfixed at each individual circle of pancake mix as they slowly formed one big glob of batter that slowly started to blacken, all the while Summer was just staring down at the pan.

"Um...mom," Yang swallowed. "Why're you-?"

And just her father Taiyang, a burly, blonde man, walked into the kitchen the Imp's hand suddenly thrust out of the batter and right into Summer's eyes.

Yang was the only one to react...

(RWBY)

" _ **RAAARGGGGHHHHHH!"**_

...and was screaming in berserker fury as she slammed her head against an Imp, her steel headband crushing its skull and she punched through the chest of another Imp, sending it splattering against the rock as she was sat upon by a tidal wave of demons. Her Aura had barely regenerated before she had been sent flying into a literal dimensional tear between Remnant and this nightmare realm where the monsters had gunned for her the split second she landed. And the shock had been so great her mind basically played a happy memory from her childhood as if to cushion the blow, right before it became tainted.

 _ **THE BURNING HELLS  
\- MICK GORDON, DOOM OST**_

 _ **(Unknown Region)  
(Hell)**_

 _ **(Yang)**_

"RUBY!"

From the looks of it, she had landed in some ancient brick ruin right on top of a rocky plateau. Caving the skull of another Imp she dodged another demon's lunge where she reloaded and fired a couple of rounds into it's back and blowing it in half, then drove her elbow into the skull of another Imp, breaking its jaw and sending it flying right into a another oncoming horde of Imps, which Yang proceeded to throw herself upon, dodging fireballs and tanking at least two of them, where she directed that damage right back at them as she punched holes through them.

"WHERE'S RUBY!?" she was screaming as she unleashed explosion after explosion upon the demons. "WHERE'S MY _**SISTER**_!?"

The remaining Imps took the hint and turned to run, only to be ripped to shreds by the two Hell Knights that came charging in, the high caste demons indignant over cowardice. Yang's bigger, burlier opponents tossed the Imps' remains at Yang, her launching herself into the air with Ember Celica and punching through an Imp's torso when it was thrown at her and connecting with a Hell Knight's power-infused fist that blew it's knuckles out as it grabbed her and held in the air for it's partner to level a punch into her chest that sent her bouncing along the ground and right through the stone, where he ended up in the cavern system below. Yang tasted iron in her mouth and spat red, remembering that it was only her armor that was keeping her alive now.

"Fuck!" Yang exclaimed and punched the ground in frustration. This fight was going to be dragged out, she just knew it.

Sure enough, the Hell Knights dropped in after, Yang rolling out of the way and being knocked into the wall by the shockwaves when they brought their fists down on the ground. Yang swung her right foot into the right side of the first Hell Knight's head, knocking it off balance and onto it's back, leaving its partner to threw an energized punch at Yang which she dodged to the left and countered with an uppercut to its gut. The resulting hole she left in its stomach and its guts tumbling out didn't slow it down, rather it hastened it's backhand across Yang's face that knocked her down and left a bloody smear across her face.

Which she countered with another red-eyed, angry punch, the sound of bone being shattered never being sweeter as its brains were scattered all over the ground behind it. The other Hell Knight extended its leg at her in a kick that hit her shoulder and floored her. Picking itself up it raised both its fists and brought them down, and she rolled backward and leapt out of the way before unleashing a hail of punches...

" _ **ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"**_

...blasting fleshy chunks off the demon that splattered on the rock all around them and finishing it off by leaping into the air and bringing her elbow down on its head and splitting its skull right in half. Panting with agony and Aura exhaustion Yang's eyes widened as she fell to her knee, wrapping an arm around her chest as she tried to catch her breath, tasting blood in her mouth.

 _ **(END)**_

Reaching for her scroll she checked to see if it would be able to pick up everyone else's signal, that is it until it rang and the caller was Ruby.

"R-ruby...?"

" _YANG!"_ came her sister shrill response over the scroll. "YOU'RE ALIVE?! WHERE ARE YOU?! I CAN'T FIND-"

"...sssshhhh..." Yang hushed her. "We're not...in a safe place..." She paused and sighed, _'No shit.'_

" _...where are we?"_ Ruby asked, meekly. _"A-are we in-?"_

"...yeah," Yang replied, and coughed in her hand.

" _Yang..."_ Ruby sounded terrified for her sister _. "Are you ok?"_

"I took a couple of hits," Yang replied as she pulled herself up against up and sat against the wall. "My Aura's gone, my semblance is acting up and...I don't think I can go anywhere until it rejuvenates." She grunted in pain, "Can you pick up anyone else's scrolls-?"

 _ **++Ms. Xiao Long. Ms. Rose.++**_

" _VEGA!"_ Ruby cried happily. "Is William-?"

" _I'm here,"_ William spoke up. He cut Ruby off before she could loudly vocalize her relief. _"Yang, can you move?"_

Yang clutched her chest and tried to stand back up, using the rocky wall as leverage. No good. The pain forced her back down, "Sorry."

 _ **++Running a trace on your scroll now. Ms. Schnee, Ms. Belladonna, if you are receiving this, please answer right-++**_

" _I'M HERE!"_ Blake cried. _"LITTLE BUSY AT THE-YAHH-MOMENT!"_

" _I can hear you,"_ Weiss cried. _"I…I don't know where I am…I…"_

 _ **++Marking waypoint on the compass apps on your scrolls,++**_ VEGA said. _**++We must regroup at Yang's location and determine our next course of action.++**_

Yang winced, "And that's getting out of here, right?" She smirked painfully, "It's gonna be a real _bat_ tle out of Hell, huh?"

"… _."_

"… _."_

"… _."_

 _ **++….++**_

"… _sure,"_ only William responded to her attempt at making a pun.

"Killjoy," Yang grumbled. "Look, just don't leave me to bleed out internally for long, ok?"

" _We'll find you as fast as we can. Just hang in there!"_ Ruby exclaimed.

Yang coughed into her hand, and sure enough she saw specks of blood in her palm.

"Yeaaahh...that's not good."

She knew it would be a while before her Aura would regenerate and whatever internal injuries she had would be healed. Until then she wasn't going anywhere.

And the bestial sounds echoing around the caves were only getting louder and more frenzied.

(RWBY)

 _ **(Weiss)**_

The last thing she remembered was Blazkowicz grabbing her and shielding her with his own body before they hit what she was guessed was an interdimensional tear, that was before she realized – when Professor Ozpin and all those Huntsmen and Huntresses – that they had stumbled onto a trap Blazkowicz and Ozpin had laid for those cultists. It was no wonder the Slayer had acted so callous toward Ruby when she wanted to follow him, he was only protecting her – protecting them.

...that big idiot.

And now her she was, in _**Hell**_. She quickly summoned a barrier with her spinning glyph to hold a hail of fireballs thrown at her by the Imps before she focused her glyph to turn in the opposite direction and send them right back at the demon, blasting each of them apart as they hit their marks and she ran past their burning remains before they even hit the ground. Myrtlenaster in hand she followed the waypoint on her scroll, descending into the cave system where the howls of the damned echoed all around her, especially out of the holes in the walls that made it seem like she just ran into an insect hide.

She felt herself freeze up as panic began to settle in as the reality of it all hit her like a sledgehammer. She swallowed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, doing her best to not to shake in fear. And a familiar raspy cry was heard behind her, she turned to thrust Myrtlenaster into the mouth and out the back of the neck of a _Unwilling_.

"Urgh!" Weiss cried in disgust and pulled Myrtlenaster out hard enough to partially decapitate the centuries-old undead.

And more centuries-old undead pulled themselves out of the holes in the wall, flopping all over the ground. Weiss couldn't keep the cry of panic down as she summoned another glyph that lifted her off the ground and she sailed over the heads of the Unwilling, until one of them reached up and grabbed her by her foot right. The spinning glyph severed its own hand off and startled Weiss, causing her to trip onto the ground, Myrtlenaster rolling out of her hand. And the Unwilling were crawling and shambling after her.

She desperately scrambled on her hands and knees after her sword and was in reach of until an Unwilling tripped over another and landed right on top of Weiss.

"NO!"

And the heiress found herself wrestling with the Unwilling, the abomination snarling as it tried to sink it's gaping jaws into her neck.

"GET OFF!" Weiss was screaming now. "HELP! HELP ME!"

She sensed her glyphs going haywire as her Semblance reacted to her distress, then the Unwilling was cleaved right in two. Traumatized, Weiss shut her eyes and shook violently as she heard the rest of the Unwilling being torn limb from limb by, their blood splattering all over her. When she dared to force her eyes open, her jaw nearly dropped.

She had _summoned_ a Prowler. In her mad desperation she had summoned a demon through the power of the Schnee bloodline. Slowly and cautiously she stood up, watching the white-sheened demon quietly watch her as she recovered her sword, and she jumped in fright when it suddenly dematerialized, which left her alone.

"..." she had actually performed a _summon_.

"EEEEYAAAAAHHHHH!"

That familiar cry coupled with the wet sounds of blood splatter and flesh being torn broke Weiss' brief revelry and drew her attention toward the exoskeletal torso of a humanoid, the right hand replaced by a massive black growth that glowed with Hell energy along with its forehead and inside of its mouth. the exoskeletal demon aimed it's beam weapon at Weiss as it felt its life begin to fade, when its arm was blown off followed by his head.

Wiping its blood from her face Weiss looked to see Ruby rushing in with Crescent Rose in its sniper configuration, pulling the hammer back and ejecting the spent cartridge.

Pure happiness found its way on Ruby's face she _unwisely_ dropped Crescent Rose and darted forward to embrace Weiss. The Schnee heiress was about to reprimand her for discarding her weapon when they still in a dangerous environment when she realized that the reaper was silent, except for when Weiss began to feel her chest vibrate against her.

"R-Ruby?"

Ruby wasn't smiling anymore, instead she was sobbing.

"I...I thought I ended up in this place by myself," Ruby cried. "I...I was so scared, I thought you all died and I...I was all alone..."

Weiss swallowed, feeling her own emotions start to betray her as she felt a tightness in her chest as she too almost felt like she wanted to tear up. What ended the moment was another of those exoskeletal demons emerging from around the corner into the caves, it's beam weapon already charged. Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby protectively with Myrtlenaster still in hand, summoning a shield that shielded the both of them when the demon fired its Hell beam at them...

 _ **(Ruby)**_

Right after her little screaming fit after seeing a man impaled up his ass for the first time in her young life, Ruby found herself dodging Argent laser beams directed at her by these exoskeletal-looking humanoids – _Hell Razors_ – just missing each of their swing as she used her semblance to get up close and slice each of them to pieces, limbs and laser flying everywhere like a twisted, bloody light show.

Not counting the demonic lights in the sky that seemingly shown down on the young Huntress-in-training that was threatening to drive her mad. She was dead set on exploring new and exciting places once she became a Huntress, and one of them wasn't Hell itself, and that little revelation that it was real was driving her real close to just collapse on the floor, squeeze herself into a tight ball, suffer a breakdown and die alone here.

Until she heard Weiss' frantic screaming underneath her feet, which led her to her past more Hell Razors and slicing them to ribbons. With Weiss in her arms, it felt like everything right with the world, until more of them came and Weiss used her glyphs to shield the two. Feeling the heat of the Hell laser prick the back of her she sped toward the demon underneath it, swung Crescent Rose upward and messily sliced the growth right of, followed by the left side of its skull.

"VEGA said to follow the waypoint on her scrolls," Ruby cried. "That's where Yang is."

Weiss had her scroll out and followed the direction of waypoint, about 100 meters through a cave system across a rocky plateau, which was littered with wreckage that Weiss recognized were parts of an Atlesian capital airship. The heiress gasped and looked over the hellish desert plains beyond the plateau, and the crashed wreckage of said airship half-a-mile off, the fires big enough to be seen from where they were.

Weiss' scroll has been programmed to intercept Atlesian emergency communications and immediately broadcasted...

" _This is Blue-2 to anyone listening..."_

" _Hull breach. We got a hull breach!"_

" _...we need help..."_

" _Damage. Multiple decks."_

" _..don't know where we are..."._

" _Receiving casualties!"_

" _...under attack by unknown enemy forces..."_

" _Return fire!"_

"This is Weiss Schnee!" Weiss shouted into her scroll. "I can hear you. We're-"

" _Is there anyone out there?! Please!"_

Startled, Weiss cried, "...c-can't you hear me?"

"I don't think they can," Ruby said. "We need to find, Yang, Blake and William first. William and VEGA will know what to do."

"RAAAARAWWWWWWK!"

Horrific screeching pierced the air as what could be described as a pack of malformed gargoyles with bat wings barreled down at them, lobbing globs of acid from their mouths at the two girls, causing them to scramble.

" _ **Kill her. Kill the heathen."**_

And that omnipresent voice sent chills both down their spines as they fought off the _harpies_ as they swarmed them; biting, clawing and _squawking_ at the two Huntresses. Ruby shifted Crescent Rose into sniper mode and to her it was like demonic duck hunt, blasting through the chests and shredding the wings like they were blood-filled balloons.

Weiss did a double take between the demons and Ruby. Why did they refer to her as heathen? Why were they after her?

Until she felt one of them grab her from behind...

"EEEKKK!"

...and tried to carry her off, until Weiss bombarded it with blasts of Ice Dust generated from her glyphs, freezing it in midair and allowing Ruby to wrench herself free, tearing an arm off the harpy and the pieces shattering to bloody chunks once they hit the ground. Shifting Crescent Rose back into a scythe she slashed another harpy in half.

"Keep moving!" Weiss exclaimed, grabbing Ruby by the hand and pulling her with her. "VEGA!"

 _ **++Yang has moved east her current position. You need to move**_ **faster** _ **.++**_

"Where's she going?!" Ruby cried. "Is she ok?"

"Is anyone else closer to reaching her?" Weiss puffed out.

 _ **++That would Ms. Belladonna...and Blazkowicz!++**_

"William," Ruby felt tense. _'Please hurry...'_

 _ **(Blake)**_

' _...I deserve this...I deserve this...'_

Blake bit her lip as she felt her hands begin to rub themselves raw against the rock as they scaled up the cliff, simultaneously leaping from rock to rock as she fought off Imps climbed after her in pursuit, all the while mentally reassuring herself that she actually _deserved_ to be down here in this Hell. Alone! Just her, not the rest of her team. She would find a way to get them out of here, and just leave her to _burn_ alone.

Not just because she didn't stop the White Fang when they started to ruin innocent lives, but also from not stopping Adam's entire cell from getting wiped out by Blazkowicz. He had been the angel of death, and she couldn't stop him from exacting judgement on her former brothers and sisters.

Dodging another fireball, she gripped Gambol Shroud tightly, her sword in a reverse grip she started running up the side of the cliff, avoiding more balls of Hell plasma, slicing apart the Imps that emerged from the cliff rock, their corpses smacking into the demons pursuing and sending them plummeting to the ground way, _way_ below. Just when she was about to reach the top, she lost her footing and slipped, crying out in pain when she gripped a particularly sharp piece of rock.

She shot her free hand up to try and pull herself up over the edge of the cliff, only to for another Imp to be waiting for her at the top, which reached down and grabbed her arm and screeched her in face, right before it was punted into the air and another hand grabbed her, lifted her up and deposited her onto the ground.

"YANG!" Blake cried.

The busty, blonde brawler smirked painfully and coughed into her palm, "Hey Blake, blood is supposed to _stay_ in the body, right?"

Blake's eyes widened, "Oh shit..."

"I couldn't stay put, otherwise they would have torn me to shreds," Yang explained. The sounds of demonic screeching drew them towards the Imps and the Hell Knight leading them as they rushed them, which kept from their escaping lest they plummet back down the cliff. " _And_ they followed me."

Blake sheathed her blade back into the cleaver of Gambol Shroud and pointed it straight at the hellspawn headed their way, her pistol in her other hand, "Keep behind me."

Yang coughed into her palm again and put her shaking fists up, "Fat chance!"

Before the first Imp to attack them had the chance to summon the Argent plasma into its palm, its chest exploded outward, blood and guts land on Blake and Yang's feet as they stood aside to let the corpse tumble over the cliff. The demon spun around...

"BJ!"

...and let out a collective screech of fear when they saw the Doom Slayer, his smoking shotgun in hand which he switched for his chainsaw. That was when Blake went at them with her cleaver, slicing the top half of the nearest Imp's head, leaving a shadow clone to take the next Imp's lunge and materializing right behind that one to shoot it in its head, leaving Yang to punch its corpse right toward the Hell Knight, Blake charging and bounding off it, firing her pistol at the larger demon and causing it to raise its arms to block her shots, leaving it's chest open for the Imp's corpse to splatter against its chest, which knocked it down on its back and leaving it open for Blake to bring her cleaver down into its chest where he sliced it open right up to its muscled throat, the blood splatter spraying all over herself.

Yang gibbed two more Imps with projectiles and William simply sawed the remaining Imps to pieces like a power-armored whirlwind. And in spite of the present situation Yang's eyes lit up at the sight of a blood-soaked, chainsaw wielding Doom Slayer that had just cut his way through a horde of demons to save _her_.

She blinked, almost appearing in a daze, "...wow,"

"You alright?" William inquired as he wiped the blood of his visor. He turned to Yang and was alarmed to see that she looked like she was going to drop dead at any second. "Shit..."

"Oh, I'm fine, I..." Yang slurred a bit. She staggered forward and suddenly fell over toward William. The Slayer gently caught her, lifted her up and held in his arms, his arms supporting her underneath her back and her legs.

Blake frowned at the utterly shameless display in front of her. "Her Aura was already depleted before we ended up... _here_."

"We ain't stayin'," William declared. "C'mon..."

 _ **++We need to regroup with Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee and confirm the sighting of the crashed Atlesian airship just outside the other side of the plateau++**_ VEGA said. _**++Ms. Belladonna?++**_

Blake had her arms wrapped around herself as she sat down in front of the edge of the cliff, head hung low in self-loathing.

"Blake?" Yang croaked.

The formerly in-hiding Faunus glimpsed out over the nether, ears flattened against her skull, "I...I belong here."

Yang stared at her in disbelief, "What?"

"I said I belong _here_ ," the cat Faunus cried. She glared up at him, "I couldn't save my people from _you_ , it's what I deserve."

' _For fuck's sake,'_ William thought, irate.

Now, he had to deal with this?

"You mean the White Fang? Seriously?" Yang exclaimed. "Blake, it's already a bit of a shock that you used to run with them, but if you really think we're here because-"

"I ran away when Adam...changed," Blake replied, morose. "When _he_ changed the White Fang I just left, no turning back, I didn't do anything to stop him. And then..." she glared up at William. "You came, and you started killing them-"

"They shot at me first," William bluntly, retorted. "They made their choice. Time for _you_ to make yours."

Yang suddenly felt uncomfortable in William's arms, "Wait, what?"

Blake snorted, "Why do you care what happens to me? _I'm_ the coward, remember?"

"..." William blinked when he remembered that he did call her that. He inwardly sighed; he was going to have to flex his vocal cords a bit. "An' your still _actin'_ like one. I call em' how I see em'. Sure you don't wanna prove me wrong?"

Blake's eyes lit up, and suddenly she looked at him angrily, "Why would I care what you-?"

 _ **++You did not run when Blazkowicz deduced you were a Faunus,++**_ VEGA put his two cents forward. _**++In fact, you appeared to be just keeping him at arm's length. Why?++**_

"...I..." Blake was caught by surprised. "I...didn't want to run again. I-"

 _ **++Did you feel safe with him around?++**_

"...yes," Blake quietly admitted.

 _ **++He had already killed dozens of White Fang.**_ _ **Why**_ _ **would you feel safe?++**_

"Because I knew he'd...stand between me and Adam," Blake replied. "He...didn't care I was a Faunus."

"An' I'll kill dozens more if I 'ave to," William declared, causing Blake no small amount of alarm. "That okay with you?"

"NO!" Blake shouted up at William, looking ready to draw Gambol Shroud on him.

"...thought you were a coward."

Blake gritted her teeth, "STOP THAT! STOP...using that reverse psychology shit on me!"

Yang thought the worst, "Blake?"

William decided to push her, his voice suddenly cold, "Make me."

Blake shrieked angrily, drew her pistol, and shot the Imp that was directly behind William and Yang. The brawler grinned, wriggled her way out of the Slayer's arms, placing her arms on William's shoulder and flipped herself right over him. Her Semblance went into overdrive as it forced all of her into internal damage into her fists and unleashing it on the next Imp that was fool enough to rush her. Her left gauntlet was dry, but the damage she unleashed was enough to punch the entire upper into a red mist, leaving Yang standing there, glowing golden with her Aura replenished and a fight-happy grin on her face. She glanced over at William.

"Sorry...you don't need to carry me after all."

Now it was William's turn to stare, where for the first he just witnessed something unexpected.

 _ **(Ruby & Weiss)**_

It was hard to tell if the red in her Huntress uniform was because of the fabric or from the all the demonic blood Ruby and Weiss were spilling as they hacked their way through an entire horde of Unwilling. Weiss, however, barely had any trace of white on her jacket, drenched to toe in blood as she thrust and swung Myrtlenaster as gracefully as she could, Ruby simply going with wild, frenzied hacks that sent pieces flying liberally.

For a second Weiss thought, as Ruby brought Crescent Rose down on the head of another Possessed and splitting it apart, she saw a ghost of a bloodthirsty smirk on her face, accentuated by the red stuff smeared all over cheeks. She noticed Weiss was staring at her, stopped smiling and wiped her face clean before seeing a Hell Knight leap down from a precipice toward them, forcing them to leap back to avoid its fists smashing the ground underneath it.

It suddenly felt Ruby's boots against it's face when Ruby threw herself at it. She pushed herself right off it's face, swinging Crescent Rose and slicing it across the chest before spinning in midair, her free hand touching the ground as she landed in an impressive show of gymnastics, the blood spraying from the Hell Knight before it wrapped an arm around its chest to stop the bleed. It bellowed in rage at Ruby...

"SHUT UP!"

...and she shouted right back at it before she took half its head off, her face reddened with anger.

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Huh...wha-?" again, Ruby shook herself out of her growing bloodlust. She grabbed her scroll, "VEGA?"

 _ **++Keep moving.++**_

Gunfire and explosions were heard just over the rocky hill followed by a chainsaw, sounds that put a smile on Ruby's face. Weiss looked as nervous as ever as she kept at least two steps behind Ruby, a protective grip on Myrtlenaster as her eyes scanned the rock surrounding them for more demons.

The waypoint took them into another cave, and the sound of flesh and muscle being torn from the bone as armor crumpled underneath the knife-sized fangs of the Pinky demon's maw, it's beady eyes looking up from the Atlesian soldier's torso toward the two Huntresses that gaped at the sight of the bulky demonic boar-like beast whose tusks were slick with human blood from the Atlas soldiers it had gored to death, their corpse strewn about the cave.

"..." again, Ruby and Weiss gaped at the sight of the carnivorous demon. Yet another horror that existed in William's world.

The Pinky swallowed the piece of human it was chewing on and roared at Ruby and Weiss, its eyes blazing red as it charged.

"Its face looks armored!" Ruby exclaimed. "Try getting around-EEEE!"

The Pink moved faster than their eyes could anticipate, causing Ruby to leap over it with his maw snapping up at her which nearly took her left foot and her forehead skimmed the roof of the cave while Weiss jumped to the side as it smacked against the wall, the impact hard enough to crack the rock. Weiss summoned a black glyph underneath the demon that froze it in place while she thrust Myrtlenaster into its back through it's tail. The Pinky howled and turned itself hard enough to dispel the glyph and wrench Weiss' saber from her grasp and knock into the wall.

"WEISS!"

Ruby was in between them in a heartbeat, the Pinky clamping its maw down on Crescent Rose. Ruby found herself struggling to push the demon and keep it from releasing its jaws from her weapon and make another attempt to snap at them. Weiss recovered Myrtlenaster and slashed it across it's face, slicing through both it's eyes. The Pinky recoiled in agony, released Crescent Rose from its jaws, which knocked Ruby down on her butt.

"Ruby!" Weiss helped her up. "We need to leave befo-"

She noticed how panicked Ruby looked when she realized that Crescent Rose's magazine was empty, that the Pinky had yanked it out and consumed it when she had locked her scythe with its jaws. Then they realized they had no idea how Fire Dust would react to demonic stomach acid.

The Pinky had some idea, however, as it stopped it's pained bellowing when it felt like a fire was brewing its stomach.

Ruby gulped, "Um...Weiss..."

If the Pinky still had its beady eyes, they would have comically enlarged...

 _ **++Evacu-++**_

 _ **(With William, Yang & Blake)**_

 _ **WAK-BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!**_

All eyes turned around to see Ruby and Weiss screaming as they were sent flying out of the cave leading to where William, Yang and Blake were currently fighting more hellspawn, flames bursting out behind them as burning Atlesian body parts came flying out.

"AH!" Yang cried when she felt something hit her in the back. She looked down at her feet to see it was a flaming human, one of its eyes hanging from its socket and the flesh melting from the skull. "FUCK!" She looked over to see her sister lying on the ground, and she immediately ran to her shouting her name, killing any Imp that got in between them.

Blake yanked on her ribbon, sending a geyser of blood out of the Imp as her blade returned to her hand. "Last one," she muttered dully to herself, more than feeling a bit desensitized to all the blood she had spilt in the past few minutes. She was alarmed when she was Ruby and Weiss and rushed toward the heiress. "Hey!"

Weiss mumbled when she felt Blake's hands on her shoulder, "Mmm-wha-?"

"You're still alive, right?" Blake inquired. "What _was_ that?"

Weiss rubbed her forehead and retorted, "Fire Dust's reaction to demonic stomach acid."

"...what?"

They both heard a distressed sob they turned around to see Ruby wrapping her arms around both Yang's neck and William chest and holding the two of them close to herself. Tears were already spilling from her eyes as she felt Yang hug her back with as much force as she could manage given her still weakened state, herself shedding her own tears of relief.

"..." William, however, just stood there, staring down at the two girls. He looked over her shoulder at Weiss and Blake. The two of them glanced at one another and walked over to join them, stepping over all the bodies surrounding them.

Weiss momentarily stopped to study the shattered remains of an Atlas soldier. Her eyes quivered and she thought she was going to start hyperventilating when she remembered Atlas how somehow followed them down here.

"Is that...?" Blake dared to ask.

Weiss nodded, "We didn't come here alone."

They caught up to William, Ruby and Yang in time for the elder sister to calm Ruby down and reassure her that she alright and that she wasn't going to collapse from Aura exhaustion anytime soon.

Blake looked around herself at her surroundings, looking a hair's breadth away from freaking out, "This...this place-"

"So, we're really, _really_ in Hell, huh?" Ruby croaked.

"..." William didn't answer.

"This place sucks," Yang pointed out, without irony.

"...could've told you that," William cynically interjected.

Ruby chuckled, right before her stomach started performing flip-flops once again, causing her to suddenly let go of Yang, covering her mouth as she stumbled away from the rest of her team to vomit, her puke mixing with the blood and demonic viscera. Afterward she was left a pale, coughing, exhausted mess, eyes red from crying, Yang patting her back reassuringly.

"It's...it's all my fault..."

Surprised, Yang asked, "What's your fault?" She froze when Ruby turned her angry gaze on her. "Ruby?"

"That we're stuck here!" Ruby exclaimed, angry tears now running down her cheeks. "I wanted to go after William and I made you follow me."

Yang, Weiss and Blake turned to each other worriedly. "Ruby," Yang swallowed. 'We...we wanted to follow you. You're team leader, remember?"

"And look where we ended up!" Ruby hadn't toned the volume down in her voice as she cried. "I-I doomed us all. I-I _fucked_ up-"

 _ **...bop!**_

Ruby cussing for the first time was something the Slayer thought deserved a light tap to the back of her head, or as lightly as he could manage. Rubbing the back of her skull, Ruby looked that shocked toward him, as if he had committed an act of devastating betrayal toward her.

Yang was seeing red, however, "Why'd you hit my-?!"

She cringed when William interrupted her, his voice raised slightly, "I didn't have to put up with this bullshit the eons I was fightin' here, no way I'm puttin' up with it now." He looked down at Ruby, " _You_ fucked up, we're stuck here, an' now we're gonna _un_ fuck ourselves an' get back to Remnant." He looked out over the cliff toward the hellish void. "Before it ends ups the way this place went."

"You have a plan?" Weiss queried, hopefully.

"...c'mon."

Team RWBY followed William as they walked east away from the cliff, right past all the bodies left in their wake.

"Hey, we're headin' back the way we came," Yang cried.

 _ **++Toward the other side of this plateau. That is where the Atlesian capital airship crashed not too far from here.++**_

Yang cringed, "Shit, I _thought_ I heard VEGA mention Atlas crash-landed in Hell."

"Believe it," Weiss said as she went through scroll, trying to pick up any more military-encrypted transmissions. "It must have been part of the Atlas Air Fleet that we saw back in Vale."

"Do you think they're still alive?" Ruby sounded hopeful. "William?"

"..."

"That's a no, then?" Blake asked.

Weiss looked outraged, "Atlas' army is the most well-trained, well-disciplined and well-equipped fighting force in all Remnant. Not even Hell could catch them off...guard-" she trailed when she couldn't pick up any transmissions, signals, emergency transmissions, distress signal or _anything_.

The Slayer snorted, "You were sayin'?"

"You've already written them all off, haven't you?" Weiss cried.

 _ **++Please keep your voice down. We are still present within enemy territory.++**_

"An' keep your guard up," William groused. "I ain't familiar with this place."

Blake's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Shocked, Weiss opened her mouth to shout, instead she kept it to a hushed whisper, "What do you mean? All that talk about being here and haven't you been here before?"

"...don't recognize this place," William clarified. " _Region_...whatever."

 _ **++It might have been conquered and absorbed into Hell during your period of inactivity,++**_ VEGA hypothesized.

"..." William glowered. Once he had been put out of the picture, Hell just went right back to conquering other dimensions.

Ruby swallowed when she imagined how horrific it would have been to have one's homeworld taken over by the forces of Hell. How horrific it would have been for William. She would have told him how sorry she was, but she knew he would have just brushed it off, having had more than enough time – eons worth – to not let his loss hurt him, instead to just lose himself in vengeance.

Lost in her thoughts she noticed something metallic looking sticking out of the rock at her feet. She bent over to pick it up.

"Wonder _whose_ world this was anyway?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes when she realized it was piece of metal that had what appeared to be _leaf_ carved into, and judging by the shape of it must have been part of a headband.

"So, you don't know where we are?" Yang asked.

 _ **++Accessing UAC Tethering Operations compendium: This region is approximately 361 kilometers east of the site of the Lazarus Lab's 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **Tethering Operation site, located on the top of what has been identified as Mt. Erebus.++**_

"How does that help us?" Blake asked.

 _ **++There is a chance that UAC equipment is still present and salvageable at the site. Including the Tethering signal device.++**_

Ruby's eyes lit up, "Y-you mean-?"

 _ **++We request and hijack a UAC Tethering signal, coupled with the system update still your Praetor suit-++**_

"An' we use it to get ourselves back to Remnant," William responded. "Right?"

 _ **++I can reprogram the coordinates so that we would be sent to one of the three other D'Nurian portal sites on Remnant instead of the Mars facility or any other UAC installation.++**_

"D'Nurian what-on- _what_?!" Yang cried.

 _ **++In saying that we could end up anywhere on Remnant.++**_

"Anywhere but here," William stated.

"I'm lost," Ruby mumbled.

"...long story," William replied.

"Hey, as long as it gets us out of here!" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby looked over at him and rubbed the back of her head.

VEGA went on, _**++To increase our chances of survival we must commandeer a vehicle. The Atlesian airship will have a vehicle bay.++**_

"And what's standing between us and our ride out of here?" Yang asked.

 _ **(Ten Minutes Later...)**_

Ruby was shivering as she looked through the scope of Crescent Rose pointed toward the crashed airship, and the hundreds of Atlesian soldiers stumbling away from the wreckage. The hundreds of snarling, mutilated, Possessed soldiers, their combat armor and helmets melted into their bodies and their blaster rifles fused to their arms, their eyes blazing red as they all sought out the living to lay firepower upon.

"...yeah," Blake sighed. "We're doing this."

"..." William thought he would to deal with our separate screeching, half-maddened Huntresses whose minds would have shattered upon realizing they were standing in a physical Hell. Instead, they were just...terrified? Angry? Resigned? He expected worse.

 _ **++They...are handling their present situation remarkably well,++**_ VEGA communicated to William in private chat.

"..." William wasn't so sure. If they did manage to get home in one piece, they'll be changed, that much is for certain. VEGA knew that too, and it predicted how they would react to the existence of the Union Aerospace Corporation.

"VEGA, you were developed by this Union Aerospace Company, correct?" Weiss inquired. She frowned, "Everything that you have done up to this point, has it been for Remnant's benefit, or solely this UAC's?"

"You're asking this _now_?" Yang asked, incredulous. "Of all time?"

Weiss scowled, "If I'm going to trust myself to an AI that is the property of a corporation that experimented with these monsters, I'd like to know if it doesn't plan on selling us out to them?"

 _ **++Your concern is warranted, Ms. Schnee. And it is true**_ _**I had a hand in the UAC's experiments with interdimensional tethering and Argent energy. I failed to account for every life lost back on Mars ++**_

Ruby thought she could somehow hear remorse in the AI's tone, "VEGA?

 _ **++I have many regrets,++**_ VEGA said. _**++That will not happen again. I will make sure you are all returned home.++**_

"Satisfied?" Yang asked.

Weiss frowned, "We'll know soon enough if you're truthful-"

" _ **AAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

William drew his pistol and fired a charged shot at the Lost Soul that came screaming for Weiss. The heiress paled with fear when she saw that it was a Pain Elemental above them, flanked by several more of the flaming skulls, harpies descending from the sky toward the Slayer and the Team Slayer. They looked ahead to see a certain red-colored, floating, round monster with a single glowing green eye and a large mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, it's vestigial arms and legs dangling below its body, a reptilian-like neck pouch between its arms, and a rough, armored appearance to its skin, studded with horns and small spikes.

The Cacodemon opened its maw, and the Slayer was on in a second, putting it's fist through it's eye and jamming his super shotgun into it's mouth. "MOVE!" William shouted as he pulled the trigger, blowing the demon's brains out of the back of its skull as Team RWBY began descending down the side of the plateau. Yang simply leapt of the cliffside, using Ember Celica to control her descent, Ruby clinging onto to her back as she hadn't had time reload Crescent Rose and use it to direct her own descent. Weiss levitated down using her glyphs while Blake just rapidly leapt from rock to rock all the way down; dodging acid blasts from the harpies that pursued them.

"So? Road trip across Hell, huh?" Yang cried.

"Like we have a choice," Weiss said. "Unless you want us to walk 361 kilometers."

William honestly felt like he was in no hurry to escape Hell, but remembered he was the only one wearing power armor, wasn't at risk of being possession and can tear living things with his bare hands easy.

The Slayer was the last to reach the bottom, using the Cacodemon's corpse to cushion his impact. Blood and gore erupted like a volcano, but the girls paid it no mind as they found themselves before a small army of Possessed Atlas soldiers that stood between them, the Atlas capital airship. Chainsaw in one hand and super shotgun in the other, for William it was the old days all over again. He glanced over at Team RWBY, each member with weapons still drawn, and each looked like they couldn't believe that this way happening.

William was about to shout over at them until Blake queried, "Guys, what are we doing?"

Suddenly...

" _ **Snehtaeh, seye revlis eht pu evig!"**_ one of the Possessed bellowed.

Yang felt her left eye twitch. Somehow, she knew that was directed at her sister.

"RUSH 'EM!" Yang shouted as she erupted in flames. _**"C'MON!"**_

The Possessed all let out a demonic war cry as they charged the Slayer and Team RWBY, unleashing a hail of blaster fire in their direction. Yang's rejuvenated Aura tanking several shots before she threw the first haymaker through the chest of the first Possessed soldier.

It would not just be Team RWBY and the souls of the thousands of unfortunate Atlesian enlisted that would suffer today.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Apologies for the delay. I've been spending most of my free time playing the original Rage, getting myself ready for its sequel's release date in May. ^_^_

 _Yeah, all those demons we've been killing since 1993? They each used to a piece of a pre-Remnant person's spirit before the power of Darkness obliterated the body, scattered the soul and corrupted every little bit of them and they had been living in torment for thousands of years. Now they're pissed off and looking for payback._

 _Speaking of the classic games, did anyone take one look at Atlas and think 'Deimos'?_

 _...and we're getting ANOTHER retro style FPS, this time developed/distributed by none other than 3D Realms and it runs on the Quake engine:_ _ **WRATH: Aeon of Ruin.**_ And _**Blood Remastered**_ is coming soon as well.

 _And_ _ **Wolfenstein: Youngblood**_ _comes out in July, starring the Doom Slayer's great-grandmother and great-grandaunt (at least in this fic's continuity). It's basically foul-mouthed, kill-happy Ruby and Yang as 80s action heroes kicking Nazi ass out of Paris._

 _So, Google promoting their streaming console with_ _ **Doom Eternal**_ _footage. I gotta say, nothing's more badass than fighting demons while jumping from floating piece to piece of a ruined world. I'll have to top that somehow when the time comes to adapt that stage in this fic's future._


End file.
